Beyond the Lens
by Halamee2559
Summary: Slight AU. A new ritual is fast approaching. Two maidens, chosen by the priestess' Chiyo and Kyoko, their souls forever entwined within them. What shall ever become of Mayu, or Sae, or even Mio, for that matter? Please R&R!
1. Fall to Darkness

_Please R&R when you are finished! I don't care whether it's good or bad, as long as I know someone is actually reading this. :)_

Disclaimer: _Fatal Frame is the rightful property of Tecmo._

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Sae found herself back in the Hellish Abyss where she was to be sacrificed without Yae in an attempt to appease the **X**. She didn't understand why no one ever spoke of its name. To the villagers it was taboo to speak, hear, see, or even think of the place because it was said that to break any of these laws you were to be cursed by the **X**. "Did it even have a name at all," she wondered. Or maybe the name had been forgotten so everyone just referred to it as the taboo name.

"_Whatever the hell it's called. It's all the same to me."_ And yet here she was, ready to be made into a sacrificial offering without her beloved sister to complete the ceremony, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She never should have run away.

"_Let this be over with, so that I may finally know peace."_

The priests led her down the ceremonial steps, their staffs ringing as one throughout the cave. Sae hung her head as she walked, idly counting the number of times the staffs hit the ground. It did little to help the situation, but at least it eased her troubled thoughts.

For a moment Sae looked back, hoping that her sister was racing down to save her, in a sense. The only thing she saw were the shuffling forms of the other priests. A light nudge forced her to continue forward, and with a barely audible sigh, she turned back and moved on.

Before long they had reached their destination, beneath the Shinto gate...where a lone rope tapered down into a hangman's noose.

"Sae..." said a stern voice

The shrine maiden could not bear to look at her father, feeling unworthy of his presence.

"Look at me." he commanded.

Sae painstakingly lifted her head up to his, her eyes focusing on a spot just above his right eyebrow. Ryokan Kurosawa fixed her with a look of disappointment. She knew he was angry, angry at her for trying to run away, but it wasn't her fault. If only Yae had come back for her…

"You were born for this purpose," he said, his voice dripping with hate. "And you will die, just as the others have before you." He narrowed his eyes at hers, "You were to be the purest maiden in the village for the Crimson Ceremony, but now things have taken the turn for worse."

Ryokan shook his head, ashamed of his own twin daughter for defying the village. "You will be punished for your betrayal, Sae," he motioned his head to the two priests standing behind her. "Pray that your agony can save the village."

It was too late to be sorry now. She had to hope and pray that her suffering for Yae and Itsuki's loss would be enough for the **X **to be satisfied. Sae felt something thick and scratchy wrap around her throat, effectively cutting off her air supply. Then she was hoisted up to the Shinto gate that stood at the opening of the sacred place.

As she dangled from the noose that was around her neck she looked at all of the veiled priests that were standing around as her vision began to fade. They were all bowing, praising her as if she were their god. Then she saw her father who was smiling, smiling at what, she did not know nor did she care as her last conscious thought was covered with darkness.

_Drip…drip…drip…drip_

The sound of water falling upon water echoed through her mind. She could feel something under her, cold and wet. Her eyes remained closed however. _"No, I don't want to see it."_

_Drip…drip…drip…drip _

Sae knew she was dead, or at least her mind was telling her that, and whatever the hell was moving underneath her feet she did not even want to know. Then the moaning came, like a hundred voices crying out from unrelenting pain. It was horrible. There was also something else there, hidden behind the mourning: a low rumble that stirred in the dark.

"_Is…is that growling? Or more like breathing?"_ Sae shuddered, wishing that the vile presence would just leave her be and wrapped her arms around her slender frame.

_Drip-drip…drip-drip-drip-drip_

The sound of falling water returned with increased fervor and the moaning grew louder at sensing the young twin's distress.

The X was hungry. It was hungry and she knew it.

"_Please, just go away, I don't want to hear it. Just go away!" _Sae scrunched her eyes as the moaning suddenly took on a higher pitch that made her heart quicken in pace. The room began to shake as the Abyss fed on the one thing that Sae was trying to hide…fear.

The ground underneath her seemed alive, squirming, writhing, and shifting in the torment of the frightened young girl.

"_Not real, not real, not real, not real, not real, not…"_ Sae was shaken from her chanting when something cold and clammy grabbed her ankle. She bolted upright, trying to shake off the crude feeling. Then, she made the mistake of opening her eyes… and was met with a putrid sight.

_'My God...'_

Hundreds of corpses strewn around her, their bodies horribly burned to the point that the skin was charred. Some of them were covered in a dark liquid that resembled the blackest black and was overwhelmingly cold against the skin of her feet. Light from above cast an eerie glow on the pile of bodies that she was standing on: Their eyes reflecting the same color as that of the Malice.

Even more disturbing was that someone else was there with her.

A young woman stood maybe a few feet away from her on a slightly raised mound of the dead, her virgin white kimono glowing brightly in the light.

Her eyes were hidden from Sae by her long ebony bangs. Although she couldn't see the girl's face too well, she appeared, gloomy. The lone figure outstretched its hand, beckoning for her to accept it. Like a stray moth to a candle flame, she was drawn to the strange being. Carefully placed foot after carefully placed foot she made the trek across the room without so much as glancing at the carnage before her; the lone figure serving as a beacon of hope in the perpetual darkness that surrounded her. When she got to within talking distance, the figure lifted her head letting the light from the ceiling reveal her face.

She gasped. No, it couldn't be. It shouldn't be. But it was. Sae was face to face with none other than…herself.

Only this wasn't the sweet and innocent teenager that could melt hearts with a single look. This, apparition was a mirror image of that. Her features seemed coarse and withered. Her ceremonial kimono which was precisely the same one she wore was completely drenched in blood. Cold blue eyes shown with unfathomable sadness yet anger all at once, piercing into her very soul. Another interesting aspect about this ghoul was that her hair was much, much longer than her own, reaching clear down to the back of her knees. It was almost as if she had aged several centuries while her body remained the same. Still, it was, truly and completely the spitting image of herself.

"_No, this can't be…it's not possible!"_

The thing that was her grinned. _"Oh but it is, Sae," _it said, not actually moving her mouth. The true Sae moved back a step. "How...how can this be happening," she thought to herself. "Am I dead?!"

"_Not quite,"_ the opposite girl replied eerily. _"More like in between. You see, when you are sacrificed your soul goes to heaven while the body remains here."_

The opposite Sae motioned with her hand at the countless dead lying around them.

"_However, if the ritual fails then the soul is trapped inside the body where the sacrificed remain in agonizing torment for all eternity."_

The shorter haired girl swallowed anxiously. She didn't like where this topic of discussion was going, not at all.

The opposite Sae turned to face the gleaming pile of the dead, her eyes transfixed on a woman who had her throat cut.

"_Tragic isn't it,"_ she said pointing to the woman. _"She was to be one with her sister, but the ritual failed and now she has to writhe in this place for the rest of her unnatural life."_

"Do you mean, that I am to be trapped here forever," Sae inquired nervously.

The long haired Sae nodded, her back still facing the teen.

"_Yes, you are caught in between the worlds of Heaven and Hell. This is a place of limbo. You will never fall nor will you rise from here, ever."_

Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought back to the time that she fell from the mountain pass and how it reminded her of how weak she was. Yae had broken her promise of never leaving Sae alone. Now she would never be one with Yae and she would be forever tormented by it.

'_Why Yae, why did you leave me behind? All I ever wanted, was for us to be together…I'm scared Yae, please, help me!'_

This was it she thought. She would never become a Crimson Butterfly. She was to be tortured by the thoughts of her sister running away forever. Sae dropped to her knees and sobbed profusely. She had always been such a burden to Yae, no wonder she had left her. Despite the terrible cold of the Malice beneath her she really didn't care. The stench of rotted flesh that stung her nostrils made her want to vomit.

The long haired girl smiled. Even though her back was turned she could sense the elder Shrine Maiden's distress. She was also smiling at the offer she was about to give.

"_Unless…"_

Sae stopped crying for a moment and lifted her head up, her face wet with tears.

"Unless what," she asked, her voice quivering.

The long haired Sae turned to face her, a conceited look on her face.

"_...Become one with me, and attain a power greater than you can imagine."_

Sae hung her head in thought. Ultimate power was indeed something that all people would love to acquire and with this power you had the ability to do whatever you wanted.

_Like getting back at everyone in the village…_

Sae shuddered at the thought of actually killing someone. As much as she hated her sister for leaving, she wasn't sure if she could take a human life.

"I-I…" Sae stuttered, unsure of what to say.

The mirror image of Sae moved closer to the original, her lips curled in perverse joy.

"_Don't deny it Sae, you've wanted to get revenge on everyone the very day Itsuki hung himself."_

Sae's thoughts traveled back to the day she had found him in the storehouse.

_Hanging there limply, his face frozen in time: And those eyes, the ones that always made her feel so powerless under their gaze, were now closed forever._

"Stop," she muttered.

"_Come on, you know you want to,"_ she teased.

"No, I-"

"_Shhhhh-_ she interjected while bringing a finger to the young teen's lips. With the grace of an elegant goddess, she lowered herself down so that she was sitting astride Sae's hips, sliding comfortably into her embrace. The long raven hair spilled over their bodies, and managed to cloud all but one of the doppelganger's hematite eyes.

_-Don't talk, just listen. I'm everything that you could never be. I am your guiding light, your savior. And only through me will you achieve the things that you so desire."_

The opposite Sae slowly drew her arms around the timid girl and pulled her close, their faces just inches apart. _"I am you Sae, and you are me. I know what you feel. Even now-_

She lowered her head to the fair skinned girl's neck and brushed her lips against the porcelain flesh.

"_-I can taste… your fear…"_

A lone tear traveled down Sae's smooth cheek as she closed her eyes.

"_-Your anger…"_

"Please stop…"

The long haired girl smiled warmly. _"Why resist such power, when it's yours for the taking?"_

She kissed Sae's neck, near the collarbone, sucking gently on the smooth flesh of her skin. Sae gasped at the sensations coursing through her, the mere touch of her lips causing pleasure to run throughout her body. Her heart quickened in pace and her breathing drew more deeply.

The long haired girl ran a hand through the shy girl's raven locks, planting firm, wet kisses along her neck. Sae couldn't help but moan. The coolness of her lips felt indescribably thrilling against her skin.

The opposite Sae's lips traveled up her neck to the curvature of her ear, her tongue darting out to lick her earlobe, biting softly with her teeth.

Sae moaned low and deep, unwittingly spurring the demented twin on. _'Oh, gods. Can this is all be a dream?' _

_"No,"_ said the spirit in her mind. The doppleganger moved her hand from around Sae's waist and placed it on the failed altar twin's chest, _"This..."_ her impossibly smooth and pale hand slipped into her kimono, cupping the girl's left breast. _"...is real."_

Sae nearly fainted from the sheer pleasure that coursed through her, letting out a shuddering gasp as it all but consumed her petite form. She wrapped her arms around the long haired woman's neck and rested her chin on her shoulder, moaning into ear. "Ohh..."

Her darker counterpart grinned, _-"And it's all for you, my dear."_ she whispered sweetly. Then she resumed her lavishing of Sae's neck, her pale fingers moving of their own accord inside the girl's kimono.

"Mmmmm." Sae knew she should stop this, but the burning desire inside her was overpowering her senses. She felt her whole body growing weak from the mind-numbing pleasure, and leaned herself gently against her twin. The girl responded by pressing back against Sae with renewed passion, leaving a fiery trail of kisses from Sae's head to her chin.

Sae tilted her head back in a silent cry of ecstasy, allowing her altar ego the freedom to move about her as she wished.

The whole thing seemed surreal beyond imagination to Sae. Here she was, at the end of the world, dancing between the thread of life with the devil's advocate. It made no sense whatsoever, and yet as she felt her kimono loosen around her shoulders, she knew that she wouldn't have it any other way.

"_Doesn't it feel wonderful, Sae," _she asked, velvet lips dragging across her face.

Sae still had her eyes closed, yet she found herself mouthing the word _'Yes'_

"_This, and so much more is yours for the taking, you only have to accept it…"_

Sae lowered her head, her eyes glazed over with lust, and noticed that the doppleganger's kimono was gracefully hanging off her shoulders, revealing her flawless figure underneath.

_"...Make the choice."_ she declared, her blue black hair falling over her face.

They both fell into each other's eyes for several moments, the whole world coming to a standstill.

She knew this was her last chance, after this there was no turning back. For a fleeting moment she contemplated on just staying in the Hellish Abyss, for all eternity.

But she ignored.

"This is what I want," she said.

Sae brought her lips to her twin, and relished the moment as priceless. It was long, both mouths opening and closing with almost psychic synchronization, as if they both knew each other's next move. Their bodies became intertwined, forming into one being.

"_So be it, Sae,"_ she heard the other say in her mind.

A wave of cold swept over her as the Malice from the bodies of the sacrificed began to rise around her. Despite the almost sub zero nature of the unearthly substance, it felt like her skin was on fire as it began to slowly wrap around her frail body.

Still, she did not pull away, her body becoming infused with the evil mixture. Sae could no longer feel the body of her twin in her embrace and slowly opened her eyes to see that she was no longer there. Her soul had become etched into her own.

Sae gasped as the Malice spread across her delicate curves and soft flesh that seemed to drive all the air from her lungs. She tried to move her legs but they refused to even budge. Her heart was slamming in her chest as the substance spread over her face and into her mouth. She tried to scream but nothing came out, and as she looked up towards the light seeking some sort of salvation, the Malice covered her eyes and the light seemed to get smaller and smaller until there was nothing left.

The presence faded. The cold receded. The moaning ceased. Everything went still. Sae Kurosawa, the once timid young girl whose destiny had been forged long ago, had become a deity.

When Sae's vision returned, she was still standing in the pit of Hell, only now she could no longer feel the Malice underfoot. Sae looked down and raised her hands to her face noticing that they had become unbelievably pale, along with the rest of her skin. Curious, she stooped down to a pool of the evil water and peered into it. She gasped.

The first thing she noticed was her eye color had changed from a soft, chocolate brown to a fiery amber red. Next she noticed that her hair had grown somewhat longer and now clouded most of her face from view. A barely visible rope mark adorned her neck, obviously due to the tightness of the noose that had been used to kill her.

Sae stood and slowly lifted her head to the sky above, the light bathing her in a bright blue glow. The floor beneath her began to tremble violently as the Abyss prepared to spill forth. A disturbingly large grin spread across Sae's face.

"_It is time," _she said to herself, her voice shadowing in the way that bespoke unimaginable power.

Then it happened, the Calamity had begun.

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_If you're wondering what voice shadowing means, I basically made that up:P. It entails that before and after you speak, you can hear the words forming before they ever leave your mouth, like ghostly whispers. The best example of this is listening to the dialouge between characters of Shadowman (N64game) in Deadside. _

_Thanks for understanding...I hope. -- lol_


	2. Repent

_AN: 11/27/06_

_Okay, this time this chapter has been completely revised. You have to look carefully, but it's there. Please be kind enough to review...I'm trying to make this fic better than it already is. _

**Disclaimer**: Fatal Frame (a.k.a. Project Zero) is the rightful property of Tecmo. All characters, locations, and plots based on the Fatal Frame series, are all property of Tecmo. So keep the wolves at bay, and let me write again for another day.

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**Repent**

Mio slowly made her way down the weathered stone steps to the Hellish Abyss, the last place any sane person would want to be. Holding the Camera Obscura to her chest, she precariously stepped further into the heart of darkness, the loud tapping of her shoes breaking through the century old silence. She knew full well what dangers lurked in the place that was not spoken about, but she had no choice in the matter. Mayu was down there, and come hell and high water, Mio was determined to get her away from this godforsaken place if it was the last thing she did!

Upon reaching the bottom, she immediately saw a human figure from afar, her form silhouetted by the bright light filtering into the room from the heavens above.

"Mayu!?" she called out to her, but there was no answer. It could have been Sae, and that thought alone made her blood run cold.

Creeping forward with her camera in hand, she moved past the ancient Shinto gates overhead, footsteps echoing off the cave walls. There were many lit candles to the far edges of the cave, their flames waning against the oppressive darkness. Mio could sense the evil in this place, hanging in the air like an invisible cloud, making each breath more difficult than the last.

And then she saw her, standing several paces in front of an altar awash with white moonlight, her head lowered, midnight silk falling away to the floor.

"Mayu," she asked, holding out her arm.

She appeared to be in a trance, for she moved nary a hair. Mio stepped warily closer to her...

"Mayu..."

Mayu lifted her head, slowly, hair shifting over her shoulders as she stared into Mio's eyes, her chocolate brown orbs filled with pain and sorrow.

"We were born for this Mio," Mayu stated, her usually sing-song voice sounding more like a mournful tale. "We always promised each other... that we would be together. But you ran away. Let everyone in the village die."

The elder twin then began to weep, her eyes brimming with tears. "Why did you leave me back then? If we had just done the ritual, none of this would have ever happened... and I would become a butterfly."

Her eyes fixed with Mio's, a mixture of sadness and hatred upon her youthful face. "I would become one with you, Yae. Was that so much to ask for? All I ever wanted was to be with you till the end."

Mio was almost on the verge of crying. "Stop it, Mayu! You aren't being yourself! It's me, Mio, your little sister. You know I would never leave you behind." Tears started to roll down her face as she stepped warily forward. "Please, Mayu... You've got to snap out of it!"

Mayu's lips curled into a grin. Suddenly, the candles near the entrance lit aflame, startling Mio as she spun around. A crimson mist filled the archway, blocking her only escape. _"Shall we begin?" _

The hairs stood out on Mio's neck at those words. Her voice seemed...tainted.

Mio knew that Mayu was no longer with her, for Sae had taken complete control over her weak mind. If there were another way to get Mayu back, she would have done so already.

But there really was no other choice, she was going to have to hurt her own sister to get to Sae, and it tore at her heart. Mio turned her head slowly, her eyes flowing with tears as she gazed upon Mayu. Her twin looked back with empty eyes, her expression a fraction away from expectancy.

"I'm sorry," Mio whispered, unsure if her sister had heard or not. With the grace of a sloth, she faced her sister, summing up her courage to press on. Then, with a shaky breath, she edged closer to her twin, fear apparent in her steps.

Mayu strode forward at frightening speed with her arms outstretched, her expression as empty as ever, inviting Mio into a deadly embrace. Despite her injury she was within mere feet of Mio in a matter of seconds. Mio jumped at the subzero chill washing over her and cried out, snapping off a shot of Type-60 film by reflex.

Mayu reeled from the impact, screaming an unholy cry of rage as she stumbled back. Mio cringed at the sound, almost certain that her ears were ringing. The translucent image of Sae faded in and out of existence within Mayu, the specter glaring with animosity.

_"You!-"_ the possessed voice spat out.

Upon recovering from the hit, Mayu's mouth opened wide and Malice came pouring out like a river being unleashed.

Mio's vision went completely black and felt her skin turn deathly cold. She couldn't breathe! It felt like the very warmth from her veins was being stolen away. Mio dropped the camera to put her hands around her throat, choking on the very essence that fueled Sae's fury.

The taste of blood filled her mouth, coppery and sickly sweet, like a morbid fruit. She became very sick and fell to floor, writhing in a curled ball. Something inside her body snapped, her eyes wide with horror as her heart stopped beating...

Then just as quickly as it happened, it all vanished.

Mio gasped for air, feeling the satisfying comfort of the life entering her body again. But this was short lived when the ground began to shake and Sae's hair-raising laughter filled the cavern. Mio quickly righted herself and picked up the camera, checking to see if there was any damage. Satisfied that it was still working, she focused the lens on the evil specter that resided in the middle of the room. Mio noticed that her vision was now replaced by a strange white haze. It was the same with all of her previous encounters with Sae and the Kusabi and it still haunted her to great effect.

A red fog started to spread around Sae as she continued to laugh insanely, engulfing her. Mio tried to get her in the viewfinder but the Camera Obscura seemed to be nullified by the strange mist.

Mio cursed to herself as Sae stopped laughing and charged at her. She saw the viewfinder flash red for an instant but it didn't stay on long enough to be an effective shot. She turned and ran away from the ghost's outstretched hands... only to run into her again as she reappeared not six feet in front of her! Mio tried to dodge out of the way but Sae was just too fast.

Hands of ice enveloped her throat, the numbing cold spreading through her like a cancer, driving all the air out of her lungs.

Sae grinned savagely at the sight of Mio's panic stricken face. _"How does it feel, Yae…" _she asked in mock innocence, _"…to be the one to suffer!?"_

Mio felt weaker and weaker by the second, her heart seizing in her chest. It took all of her strength to lift up the camera and flash Sae in the face with it, a brilliant flash lighting up the room.

Sae merely turned her head to one side, reflecting the effect the camera had on her and then brought her face right up to Mio's, cold blue eyes boring hellish icicles into her.

_"I would advise you, to not do that again." _she said menacingly. With an ease that truly defied her physical limits she lifted Mio off of her feet, using her own weight to choke her. Mio started gagging as Sae's hands crushed her windpipe and dropped the camera to the floor. She reached up in a feeble attempt to break the specter's iron grip, trying desperately to breath. Her skin felt unbearably cold to the touch.

"Sae," she managed, "Why…why are you doing this. What did…I ever do to you?" Clearly annoyed by the question, Sae spun around and hurled her into the adjacent wall. Mio's back slammed into the jagged outcropping and then fell some distance to the hard stone floor on her side. Tears exploded in her eyes and felt her lips almost contort into a cry of pain.

_"Why must you be so selfish Yae," _she asked. _"You; were the reason why I was left behind. You; were the reason why I have been trapped here in this Hell. You; are the reason why I have been waiting for so long, to fulfill our destiny."_

Sae walked across the ground towards her, her feet never actually touching the ground. Mio glanced over at the Camera Obscura that was lying just outside her reach.

"_So dear sister, do you choose to become one with me..." _Sae looked over at the camera lying on the floor and then back to Mio. _-"Or…do you choose death instead?"_

The psychotic ghost grabbed Mio by the shoulders and put her face close to Mio's again. She twitched uncomfortably under Sae's dreadful stare, her dark blue eyes piercing daggers into her soul. The red mist had completely encircled the two and was now swirling around Mio's body. Burning coals entered her lungs with each breath she took as the coldness of Sae's hand around her throat sent icy tendrils of pain through her.

"Sae…" she choked out, "I…I can help you. Please just listen to me."

The girl loosened her grip somewhat. _"Why do you care, Yae?" _she replied, sounding confused._ "You left me here to rot remember?"_

The young teen's life was hanging on a thread. Mio knew that Sae could have killed her countless times already, but she hadn't. She decided to play into the apparition's misguided delusions of her long-lost sister, praying to be spared of Sae's wrath.

Mio shook her head. "You're wrong, Sae. I do care about you." Her hands moved to caress the spirits' in an affectionate gesture. "Why else would I have come all this way to find you?"

_"Do not test me," _came her simple reply. _"I can kill you, Yae..." _Her hand tightened around Mio's neck to emphasize the point. _"...like I could have many times before."_

"But you didn't," Mio reinstated. "You held back. You wanted to..."

_"Stop..."_

"No one should ever have to endure the pain that you did, Sae" continued Mio, her voice dropping off, "You deserved... a much better life."

Sae's face was beginning to soften, the look of hatred dissipating as she lowered the Amakura twin to the ground. "..Mio?" said the specter in a soft voice.

Mio knew that voice anywhere... "M-Mayu?" she asked softly. "Can you hear me?" Sae started to tremble slightly. Whether it was from anger or grief she could not venture to guess.

_"You promised me!" _Sae snapped, her resolve breaking down. _"You promised that you would stay with me, no matter what!" _

The young Amakura twin could see the internal struggle between Mayu and Sae, her twin trying to break free. _"Why didn't you just become one with me?" _she asked, tears rolling down her porcelain face. _"I thought you loved me..."_

"We'll be together," Mio replied while bringing her hands around Sae's back. "We will..."

For a sliver of a moment, she saw something in the ghost's eyes, a tiny glimmer that was akin to compassion. Then, Sae narrowed her eyes at Mio. _"Liar!" _she screeched, wrapping her hands around her neck._ "You do not care about me!?" _The Malice flared up inside her, drowning the Kurosawa twin in a dark haze._ "If you had, you would have saved me from this madness centuries ago!" _

Mio was at a loss for words. What could she do? As much as she wanted to help the murderous ghost, she couldn't abandon her own sister. The vile aura that emanated off of Sae made her lungs burn. Mio knew that if she didn't have an answer soon she would die.

"I…don't want to die, Sae..." she said whimpering. "But..."

"**_That is not what I asked you!" _**she screamed as she threw the girl away like used trash. Suddenly, out of nowhere, hundreds of human hands appeared in the red mist and raced towards the hapless girl.

"**_I asked you if you would become mine!" _**her eyes burned an intense turquoise. Mio barely had time to scream before she was lifted off the floor and tossed with ungodly force across the room. For a fleeting moment, she thought she would fall into the Abyss and closed her eyes. The wind howled in her ears as gravity pulled her back to the Earth.

Surprisingly enough she did not fall into a perpetual freefall. Instead, she crashed into the stone floor, her right side scrapping the stone surface and bounced several times before coming to rest next to the altar, coughing profusely.

"_You are trying my patience, Yae. If you wanted to take me away from here, then why did you leave me behind?" _

Mio knew what she said was true. Yae _had _left her behind back then, but it was unjust that Sae was taking her revenge out on her. Blood dribbled from the corner of her mouth as she attempted to regain her footing. "I didn't leave you," she said, holding her injured side.

But the punishment that Sae was putting out was far from over. For the hands now curled into fists and pummeled into her battered body. Despite the fact Sae's laughter once more pierced her virgin ears she felt like she was going deaf. Mio covered her ears and swore that she felt blood on her fingertips.

"Stop it, just stop it," she cried as the blows continued. She was sobbing through the blows as she pleaded to Sae to just end this torture.

"Please, please stop! I'm not the one that you want!"

Sae's laugh continued to rip through her soul as she closed in.

"_Why, Yae? Does it make you feel scared and alone," she taunted. "Ha-ha-ha, you were always the one to be scared so easily. It suites you so well, after all..."_

Sae raised her hand to her face and snapped her fingers, therefore making the unholy instruments of pain vanish in a cloud of mist.

_..."You did run away!" _

Blood poured out of Mio's mouth as she lay sprawled on the cold floor, her clothing tattered and torn. She was tired of it all: Tired of the pain of leaving Mayu behind, tired of being haunted by this place, tired of Sae trying to kill her, tired of everything.

"_Now, Yae, the time has come, for you to repent all your sins." _

Mio felt something cold wrap around her back and thighs and turned her head to see the apparition kneeling before her, her bloodstained kimono giving off a faint glow. Sae's hands moved around her slender frame and lifted her up, with almost no effort.

Mio tried in vain to move, but found it to be no use, her muscles protesting. Her head hung loosely in defeat, the blood rushing to her face.

"_Why do you always have to fight, Yae?" _Sae scolded._ "Even in your disheveled state, you still try to deny your destiny." _She shook her head. _"How pathetic..." _she muttered in disapproval.

Sae lowered her onto the moonlit platform, her eyes lingering on Mio's young yet well proportioned body.

"_Let's finish this." _

Then slowly, she swung her leg over Mio's waist and lay on top of her, the sudden contact making her body clinch in desire. Mio winced as Sae placed her bloody smooth hands around her neck once more, her breath catching in her throat. The "hands" had appeared once again, and they held her limbs down to keep from moving.

Sae peered down at the frightened young girl between her legs, her ebony bangs falling down over her eyes, and gently, ground her hips against hers. Mio stifled a moan that sought to escape her lips, not wanting to admit what her body was telling her.

Sae grinned deviously, a look of perverted joy brooking across her face and moved down next to the Amakura twin to whisper in her ear.

"_Don't worry, I promise it won't hurt… much-" _

And then she began to slowly squeeze the life out of her. This was it, thought Mio. Finally, she would be released from the pain. Her eyelids became heavy as the cold consumed her frail body, sleep was quickly drawing near.

"I'm sorry, Mayu," she whispered. "Sorry... that I... couldn't save you." And with that she closed her eyes and waited for that final moment of serenity.

_"Together forever… Dear… sister…" _

"**Stop!"**


	3. Sorrow

AN: Sorry for leaving everyone in the dark like that for so long. I know that some of you may or may not want to strangle by now, so I apolgize. I got carried away with my writing and ended up with seven or so variations on this chapter alone! Thus getting lost in the process.

* * *

Shoutout: Because I believe they are what matter most to the writer, no matter how few and far between they may be. 

**Dash-The Hero of Dreams**: Thanks for giving me such a great review! It gives me great pride knowing that someone looks forward to my work.

**sych77**: I like how you enjoyed the first chapter. I wanted to do something that was outside of the norm. If you want to blaze a trail, carry a blowtorch to convention! Lol!

**Kagayaki No Hana**: I know exactly what you're getting at. Mio does in fact, have nothing to do with Sae. But you have to think about something, if Sae wanted to complete the ritual, wouldn't she be trying to persuade Mio instead of killing her? If you played the Zero Chapter of Nightmare mode, you have to fight Sae instead of just completing the ritual with Mayu. Besides, I wanted to capture that malicious intent of Sae to the fullest extent! And don't worry about affending me, because you have not. Constructive critiscism is key to better writing, so I thank you. (Takes a formal bow)

**Fanfic-Lover**: Hello again! I'm glad that you liked this version better than the original. It was so full of plot holes, that even Sae would scracth her head and say; WTF! LOL! I got inspriation from you as well as another, who unfortunately, stole my first story in use of their FF fanfic. Of course it didn't really see the light of day to other viewers here so, LOL!

**J.V. Hart**: Here's to you first reviewer! I appreciate you putting me on your Story Alert list or whatever the hell you call it. Thanks ever so much!

**Kerrianne**: If your out there, reading this now, know that I miss you here, we all miss you... TT

**Chendzee'a Li**: To my idol, because I think that she absolutely rocks! If you happen to stumble upon this piece of literature, please know, that I do this for you.

All right everyone, I think that pretty much somes it up.

**Disclaimer**: Fatal Frame (aka. Project Zero) is the rightful property of Tecmo. All characters, locations, and plots based on the Fatal Frame series,are all property of Tecmo. So keep the wolves at bay, and let me write again for another day.

* * *

**Sorrow**

**

* * *

**

_A full moon shaded by dark clouds loomed over the Lost Village, its eternal gaze shining down upon the hillside to claim everything with its radiance, Living or dead. Shadows danced about in the trees that swayed under the wind's guidance and sent red leaves of the late fall into frenzied flight. One drifted silently back and forth in limbo, caught in the invisible grip of a gentle breeze to be carried away to a place forgotten in time..._

"**Stop!"** someone screamed. **"Leave her alone!"**

Sae snapped her head back as the voice rang out in her head. It didn't take the apparition long to figure out who was calling out to her.

"_Why?" she stated coldly. "After everything she's done— _

"**Sae, it's not her! Can't you see that? She isn't Yae!"**

The demented spirit narrowed her eyes at the girl on the verge of death. _"I see someone who has taken away everyone and everything that I once lived for. Because she ran away, I've had to rot in this hell of mine. Now go away!" _She immediately went back to strangling the girl writhing beneath her; the warmth from her body quickly fading…

"**Please, I'm begging you!"**

She had murdered hundreds, perhaps thousands of innocents to get to this point, and she was not about to let this chance at revenge slip through her fingers.

"_NO!" _Sae yelled out loud, her voice wavering. _"I…I've waited too long for this! She deserves this, not me!" _She lowered her eyes to the dying teen in her grasp. Yae would suffer to her last breath.

"_Goodbye, Yae."_

* * *

Images flashed through Mio's mind, some of them bleak while others seemed clearer, like hazy images through an old 8mm projector. 

"_Mio, didn't we always promise each other…"_

_Vague thoughts and memories sped through Mio's mind. Mayu being strangled by her hands, Sae throwing her head back laughing insanely into the night, a crimson butterfly fluttering on burning wings. _

"…_that we would always be together?"_

_-A young man with ivory hair, a sorrowful look in his eyes. "I'm sorry Yae, Sae. I'm sorry for everything…"_

_Mayu standing at the edge of the Abyss, her eyes black with Malice. "You left me to die!" she snarled. She bared her teeth at Mio. "I wish you were dead!" _

_The image of Mayu twisted and contorted violently into the form of Sae, her face devoid of emotion. "Why did you leave me back then," came her haunting voice, "I kept waiting and waiting…" _

_-Twins running down a broken path; one of them falling behind while the other pulled ahead of her. _

"_Mio, slow down!" the elder twin called out. _

"_Why didn't you kill me back then?"_

"_Come on! Come on!"_

"_If only you killed me back then, you wouldn't have to suffer for me!"_

"_Please, don't leave me!" Mayu outstretched her hand._

"_Hahahahahahaha-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-Go ahead let everyone die!"_

_-The slipping of rocks underfoot, a shrill cry breaking through the forest. _

_Mio looked over the edge of a steep drop, her heart full of dread. _

"_Mayu…?" her voice cracked. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry…!"_

_Trees raced by her field of vision in brown, tan, and orange shades. Her little legs wobbling along the beaten path, tears of anguish running down her porcelain face. _

"_What have I done?" She was running so fast. She had to find help. _

"_Mio, once you've come this far…"_

"_Yae, come here, hurry."_

_A blinding light shooting out of a cavernous pit in the ground, reaching up to rake the sky. _

"_The Abyss has awakened," said Ryokan Kurosawa as he gazed up to the ravaged sky, "We are all doomed…"_

_Skies darkened like a brushstroke of midnight black, blotting out the sun. Mio looked around scared. She had become lost. The young twin fell to her knees completely exhausted, tears forming in her eyes. _

"_Please," she pleaded. "Someone… please h-help…me!"_

_A sudden foreboding came over Mio. Slowly, she tilted her head up to see Sae standing a stone's throw away: That wicked smile ever present on her cold features. The living dead girl lifted an accusing finger at Mio, her face taught in a vile grimace. _

"_YOU!" she spat. "Ran away from your destiny, you are not worthy of the ritual!" _

"_GO AWAY!" Mio shouted. "LEAVE ME BE!" _

_The ghoul smirked. "Why would I do that," she replied in mock innocence, "When it's more fun, TO KILL YOU!"_

_The demonic figure lunged at Mio, moving far faster than any normal person would. Mio screamed and tripped backwards, her frail little body hitting the ground. She tried scurrying away from her on her hands and legs, but the spirit was far too quick for her. _

"_No," Mio pleaded. "Stay away! Don't come near me!"_

_Two pale hands reached for her, bloody and smooth. "Don't worry, Mio. I'll take of care of Mayu." _

_Mio screamed as she felt her arms turn to ice. _

_A folklorist, his body savaged with sword wounds, his arm outstretched._

_Seijiro… Makabe…_

"_Dead, You're, all dead!" Sae screamed. _

_The Kusabi bellowed an ungodly cry of rage, Mio's vision shaking from the force of it._

_Two voices, Mayu and Sae talking exactly in sync with each other. "Kill me, kill me, kill me, kill me, kill me, kill me, Kill Me, Kill Me, Kill Me, Kill Me, KILL ME!_

_A cacophony of noise coupled with a deafening screech erupted from the Hellish Abyss._

_Mio was practically losing it and covered her ears, "STOP!"_

"…_I'll wait for you," came the twin voices again, "…forever."_

The young twin started weeping. "Please…please…."

So many memories; moving through her mind faster than she could discern until finally one of them became frightfully clear.

Sae gasped as visions of the girl's past flooded her mind. _"What, what is this?"_

* * *

_Mio was with her beloved sister, Mayu in the backyard playing tag during their childhood. It was a beautiful late summer evening. The sun was setting in the hills with low hanging clouds serving as a backdrop. It was a picture perfect setting._

"_Come on, Mayu-chan!" she teased. "You still can't catch me?" _

_The older twin placed her hands on her knees to catch her breath. "How do you… run so fast, Mio-chan!" she laughed. "I can't even…keep up…with you!"_

_The younger just laughed and flashed a toothy smile. "You can't catch me, you can't catch me…eeeeekkkkkkkk." Mio barely had time to bolt before Mayu charged her again, laughing all the way._

"_Mayu-chan, hahaha, you're, hahaha, you're too slow!_

_If Mio had been closer she would have heard Mayu growl in frustration. Lucky for her however, Mayu wasn't out of ideas just yet. _

_A small grin spread across her childish features. "I'll get you dear sister. You can count on it."

* * *

_

_After dashing behind a tree in their backyard, Mio remained still, panting quietly in the crisp summer air. So far she had managed to evade her twin, but sooner or later she would have to succumb to her. It wouldn't be fair for her to do this to Mayu all the time, so she pretended to get caught. She peeked around the massive trunk to spy on her sister whom at the moment was moving away from her. _

"_Tehehe, you're such a spaz, onee-chan," she whispered giddily. _

_Mayu soon lost track of where to find Mio when a butterfly flew past, her chocolate eyes glued to the beautiful insect. "Oooooh, pretty." she said, and reached out to catch it. _

_To Mayu, her fascination was no longer on finding Mio, but to give her a present instead. _

"_Wait! Come back!" she called out. Her small hands groped the air for the little bugger, but it always ended up getting just out of reach. _

_To the butterfly, the strange brown object with pale thingies reaching for it was freaking out: 'AIIIYYYYEEEE!WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING! GET AWAY!'_

_Unbeknownst to Mayu, her twin was watching from a good hiding place in the bushes with keen interest. "I could watch her all day like this," Mio thought playfully. _

_Mayu jumped up at the object of her desire. "Nnnngggghh, nnnnggggh," she whined with each try. Little did she know that she was about to become awhole lot messier… _

_Mio could hardly contain her laughter as Mayu stumbled and nearly fell face first into a pit of mud from an earlier storm. A splash of the earthen substance covered Mayu's entire front while her legs sank well up to the knees._

_After using some choice words that a child her age should never really say, Mayu righted herself and then said; "Awww, I got mud on my skirt!" And indeed she did, that and most of her bare legs were covered in mud as well._

_Mio clamped her hands over her mouth to stifle a laugh. 'Oh my God!' she exclaimed internally. "She looks so cute when she pouts!'_

_Snap! A fallen tree branch crushed underfoot._

_That got her attention right away. Mayu looked over her shoulder and noticed with some odd interest that a tree was laughing._

'_What the...?'_

_Once again, Mayu had all but forgotten what she had been doing and drew closer to the old tree._

'_It's definitely laughter…but how?' She placed one ear to the trunk and listened. It was a girl's laughter. _

'_Oh great, now the trees are laughing at me!'_

_Suddenly, a blur of black and white entered her peripheral vision. Before she could even comprehend what it was, she was being tackled to the ground, and being tickled._

"_Aaaahahaha," she screamed in laughter. "S-S-Stop it, Mio, you're haahahahaha, y-you're so mean!"_

_But Mio could care less, at the moment she was too preoccupied with the hapless twin pinned beneath her. In a quick movement, Mio lifted Mayu's blouse over her head and started tickling her stomach with her tongue. _

_This drove Mayu nuts! She writhed underneath Mio and tried to break free. "HAHAHAHAHAHAH-sharp intake of breath-AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" _

_That was the last straw! Mayu reached up into Mio's skirt and started tickling her thigh, something that she knew Mio hated._

"_N-No, no-hahaha-NOT THERE, NOT-HAHAHAHAHA," she pleaded. If that weren't bad enough, Mayu had moved on to another spot that was ticklish, her underarms, and was returning her torture with interest._

_Not wanting to be outdone by her sister, Mio randomized her soft assault on Mayu's body to different areas at once, making her squirm and thrash about uncontrollably._

_This went on for quite awhile, both girls attempting to always outdo the other, screaming in bouts of laughter at once._

_The sun was setting below the horizon by the time they stopped. Mio sat next to the mud caked form of Mayu with her fingers intertwined with her own. They sat there, legs pulled into their chests, exhausted and satisfied as the orange glow of the sun entranced them, the sounds of the forest whispering to them on the summer wind._

_A comfortable silence ensued…both of their minds on one thing._

"_The sun is…" started Mio. _

"…_so beautiful," finished Mayu. _

_They both exchanged looks and smiled. _

_It was rare for either of them to see such glorious sights together. Because Mio's vision was somewhat poor, she missed out on things like this. Only with Mayu was she able to see more clearly._

"_Well," said Mio breaking the silence. "That was fun!"_

_Mayu giggled. "Tehehe, yes it was. Oh, you're dirty, Onee-chan," she pointed._

_Mio looked down at her sundress that was now in a deshelvled state and gasped._

"_Oh, No!" she exclaimed. "Mum is going to kill us!" Mayu simply laughed at that. "It looks like we're even now, Mio-chan."_

"_Yeah, I guess so…"_

_Another minute of silence went by, this time a bit unsettling. Mio didn't notice Mayu's face turn down in a frown, nor did she see the troubled look in her eyes. She gazed at Mio, who at the moment, was still looking at the sunset, the wind ruffling her hair in the wind._

'_So pretty,' Mayu thought warmly, then blushed. _

"_Mio-chan?" she asked._

_Her twin turned to Mayu. "Yes?" _

"_Can you make a promise to me…?"_

"_Sure!" said Mio._

"_Promise me you'll stay with me. Even when we grow up, I want to be with you, forever." Mayu's mood had become quite serious now._

_Mio's expression saddened slightly at hearing her tone of voice. "Onee-chan…"_

"_Please, just promise me you won't leave, please…" her eyes were getting moist. "Always come back for me…"_

_Mio smiled warmly. "Of course, Onee-chan, I would never abandon you." Mayu's face brightened quite visibly. "Really!"_

"_I promise." Mio cupped her twin's face in her hands and kissed her face tenderly, pecking the area with her lips several times._

_After a few moments, Mio pulled away. "I love you, Mayu-chan," she said softly, eyes unwavering from Mayu. _

_Mayu beamed and smiled exuberantly. "Thank you Mio-chan, you're the best sister ever!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her._

_Mio returned the hug and smiled also. _

"_I know… it's because I love you."_

_Bmp-Bmp, Bmp-Bmp, Bmp-Bmp, Bmp-Bmp…_

Sae could feel tears brimming in her eyes, a rare thing to occur for the ghost. _'N-No, this can't be!'_

"**No, Sae. This is Mio, for who she truly is."

* * *

**

Then, it stopped. The coldness, the numbness, the pain, it was all gone.

Had she died? Mio couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. She was too afraid to know the truth. Something wet fell on her cheek, startling her momentarily.

_What...what was that?_

She felt it again, and this time she could distinctly make out the sound of someone sniffling. Slowly, Mio opened her eyes…and was shocked to see that Sae, the girl that had been so determined to end her life…was crying.

The ghoul's face was drenched in tears, her cold blue eyes seeming softer than ever before as she gazed down upon the unfortunate victim beneath her. Mio noted that Sae was actually shaking with restrained sadness and began to wonder what had caused the abrupt shift in emotions for Sae.

"_I'm sorry," she whispered. "I had no idea…sniff…" _

Before Mio could even utter a sound, the apparition faded along with the bloody mist and grainy hue that plagued her vision.

Suddenly, a semi-heavy form fell through on top of her. The movement was so sudden that Mio nearly panicked and let out a soft cry. She started flailing her now freed limbs wildly, trying desperately to pull away from whatever it was that had all but pinned her to the altar.

Then slowly, she stopped. It was a person. At first she had no idea who it was or what had happened to Sae, but then the figure took shape into what appeared to be a girl. Jet black hair, sultry figure, delicate skin, lace sundress...

No...

"Mayu!?" she cried out. The unconscious form of her beloved sister was now lying across her. Her skin was so cold. She wasn't moving.

"Mayu!!!" she said shaking the girl by the shoulders. "Wake up, please wake up!" Terror was growing in her abdomen and felt her breathing start coming out erratic. Her heart was pounding in her ears.

"Don't leave me Mayu! I love you! Come back to me!" She was sounding hysterical and felt tears stinging in her eyes. Mio placed a hand on her sister's cheek and pulled her head in to her chest.

"Please," she begged. "Not again, not when I was so close to getting you back." On that day all those years ago, she had made a promise. An oath to Mayu: she would never leave her behind again, ever. And yet fate seemed to want them separated. Mio sobbed into Mayu's shoulder.

'Why, why can't I save her from this nightmare? Why must I be the one to suffer! It's not Mayu's fault that she had to be so weak. I'm the one that deserves to die, not her! Not her!'

Mio looked down into Mayu's closed eyes for at least some signs of life. There was nothing. Not even the faintest of breaths. Her face was frighteningly pale, much like the ghosts of the village past. Even her milk soft skin had no color left to it. It was almost as if the very essence of Mayu had been drained out of her.

In that instant Mio knew that she had lost the one thing in her life that made her feel complete. She felt her body convulse with each sob as tears spilled forth to soak Mayu's blouse.

_It's my fault…it's always my fault._

Mio lifted her head to the stars above and cried her heart out. Whether the heavens could hear her or not she did not care. Her Mayu was gone. She was all alone in this world…

* * *

**GASP! What's this, another cliffy! I have to admit, I'm getting damn good at this. (Sae claps offscreen)**

**"_Wow, you make me so evil in this!" _Sae glomps me from behind, _"You rule!"_**

**_(Author gags) _All right, ladies and gents, you know the score. Review this if you think it's worth your time. And do hurry, before Sae snuggles me to death! _"Aggggghhh" _LOL**

**Till next time…**


	4. Forbidden

**AN: Hello, I'm back! This is seriously taking me too long to write, so I'll try to change my ways and get these chapters out the door quicker from now on. (Edited on 1/09/07)** _I just noticed that there was a small descrepency within one of the paragraphs, and it has been dealt wtih. Sorry if I made some people think I was acting crazy._

**Warning:** This story contains Yuri, so please do not read if you are appalled by such a thing.

**Disclaimer:** Fatal Frame (a.k.a. Project Zero) is the rightful property of Tecmo. All characters, locations, and plots based on the Fatal Frame series, are all property of Tecmo. So keep the wolves at bay, and let me write again for another day.

* * *

**Forbidden

* * *

****_A full moon shaded by dark clouds loomed over the Lost Village, its eternal gaze shining down upon the hillside to claim everything with its radiance, Living or dead. Shadows danced about in the trees that swayed under the wind's guidance and sent red leaves of the late fall into frenzied flight. One drifted silently back and forth in limbo, caught in the invisible grip of a gentle breeze to be carried away to a place forgotten in time..._ **

Deep within the bowels of the Earth, a pretty young girl wept for the loss of her loved one. She cried, long and hard, spilling her tears into Mayu's chest. The low howling of the wind, whipping through the cave like an invisible current sent chills down the younger twin's spine as it wafted across her bare back.

It did little to lessen the pain Mio was hurting to endure, however.

_'...I'm all alone.' _

Mio was kneeled over her deceased sister on the moonlit altar, weeping inconsolably into Mayu's neck. How… how could this have come to be, she thought? She had tried so hard to find Mayu, to save her from this madness, fighting tooth and nail through every twisted apparition that stood in her way… and this was what she got in return…

'_Is this some kind of twisted joke? Is fate so cruel, as to make me live forever alone…?_

It was like some otherworldly force was driving a stake into her heart, separating her from the one person she loved most in this life. Mio let her weeping subside partially, and gazed once more at the lovely face of Mayu.

"Mayu..."

She was like a frozen princess, her skin as pale as always, though colder now…. A peaceful expression adorned her soft features; appearing more tranquil than what passed as sleeping. Mayu was so beautiful…

'_Was…'_

"Damn this place…" she muttered darkly. She cast an accusing glare towards the Hellish Abyss, tears still stinging her eyes. "It's not fair…"

Mio rested her head against Mayu's chest, lying on top of her with one hand intertwined between the elder's fingers. She cried silently to herself, wishing that this would all be nothing more than a horrible dream, a nightmare that she would soon awaken from…

But it was real. As real as the cold body beneath Mio's warm one.

"Please," she pleaded, choking on sobs. "Please, let this all go away… I don't want to leave her." It seemed irate that Mio was talking out loud, but seeing how she was already falling into darkness, she could care less.

"I want a second chance," she whispered hoarsely, her face raw from crying. "I'll do anything to have you back! I don't care how, just let her live!"

Mio snuffled loudly, the tears bursting forth once again as she silently screamed the next words that would seal her fate. _"GIVE ME MY MAYU BACK!"

* * *

_

That desire… was answered.

From the Abyss…it came.

A black and red butterfly; rising from the depths on fluttering wings, dripping with blood. Malice of unfathomable ages shrouded the insect in a miasma so powerful that no light could ever break through.

It hovered above the gaping maw of Hell, its gentle flapping of wings as silent as the wind, awaiting the task…

Voices like a hundred snakes hissed out from the darkened depths below.

"_She is worthy," _the Abyss whispered to the majestic creature, _"...Kyoko."_

With clarity and grace, it flew.

So lost in her mourning, Mio never even noticed the black butterfly hover out of the Abyss.

She didn't see it flutter towards them on comet tails of red.

Nor did she see it land on Mayu's cold, frail neck…where it suddenly bonded to her skin, leaving a sacred mark similar to that of the Crimson Sacrifice.

The Abyss had granted thy divine wish, but not without its price…

Mayu's eyes opened indolently, like she had just been awakened from a century of slumber. For the tiniest of moments, her irises flashed a deep shade of scarlet purple, the outlying edges darkening in a touch of indigo blue before they turned back to their true colors. The diminutive red mark on her neck slowly began to disappear into the flesh, leaving no trace of it existence.

Mayu Amakura… had been reborn.

* * *

"…" 

"…"

"…"

"…Mmmmm… nnngggghhhh, M-M-Mio?"

The only sounds Mio heard were of her own grieving, and the low whistling of wind through the cavernous pit of hell that had caused her so much grief.

Mayu shifted slightly in her sister's embrace, not really knowing why she was being held so tightly. "Mi-o…" she said softly.

Mio gasped and her tears ceased. She sat up slowly, deathly afraid of what she would see, and found Mayu looking back, her innocent almond eyes blinking slowly, a tiny smile on her lips.

"Mayu…?" she whispered, her sadness all but forgotten. This couldn't be happening; Mayu was…she was…

Mayu tilted her head to the side and blinked, "Mio, why are you crying?"

If there was ever a time she hadn't been this overjoyed to hear that voice, she simply could not recall. Suddenly, fresh tears spilled forth as she grabbed Mayu up in her arms, hugging her tightly, "Oh, Mayu!"

A little confused, Mayu returned the affection, gently wrapping her arms around Mio's waist.

"Mio, I'm okay…"

Mio nodded meekly and hugged her tighter, tears of joy falling from her chocolate eyes. "Mayu…Mayu!" She pulled Mayu's head into the crook of her shoulder, lacing her fingers lovingly through her ebony tresses. "I was so scared-… I thought I'd never see you again!"

"M-Mio…?" her voice cracked. Tears fell away from her chin as they rolled down her heart shaped face. She knew that her sister was in pain, and it was mostly her own doing.

Mayu enveloped her sister in a tight embrace, her curves pressing into Mio's chest as she silently wept. "I'm sorry," she croaked in Mio's ear, "I'm sorry…!"

All Mio could do at the moment was cry. She felt so blessed; her Mayu was still alive. The Amakura twins lay in each other's arms on the stone altar, Mayu's bare leg having slid inside Mio's own as they nudged faces together.

"Thank you…" Mio whispered to the sky. She was hoping that whatever higher power had saved her sister was listening, for she was eternally grateful.

Of course… the price to pay… would inevitably fall on her.

After enough tears had been shed, Mayu nestled her head into her neck, which Mio caressed gently. She curled her fingers through Mayu's hair as she stared off into nothingness, pondering on the events that had just transpired.

When she held Mayu in her arms moments ago, she had felt so cold. No pulse, no drawing of breath, nothing. It terrified Mio to think that her sister had actually died, and it was something that she didn't want to relive **ever** again.

Even now, Mio was still reeling from the trauma of her sister awakening, and didn't dare let go Mayu's delicate figure, for fear she would lose her forever.

The candles surrounding the room burned brightly and the moon from above shone down upon them, basking their skin in an ivory glow. Both girls stayed like that for a while, enjoying one's warmth. None of them had anything to say; they were both physically and mentally exhausted. Had there been any living person left in the Godforsaken village, the sight of the two of them embracing would have been absolutely adorable.

There was silence for some un-foretold amount of time, until Mayu began to stir, her ebony bangs shifting over Mio's bare shoulder.

"Mio," she asked, her warm breath wafting across her neck.

"Yes?"

Mayu hesitated, as if pondering her next words. "… I love you."

Mio loosened her embrace somewhat and leaned back to get a good look into her sister's misty depths. She looked so vulnerable now. The crystalline orbs that were her eyes seemed so yielding, so full of trepidation.

"I love you too, Mayu." Mio felt a strange tingling in her body as Mayu gazed lovingly at her. It was an unfamiliar sensation that made her heart flutter in her chest as it spread itself out to her fingertips. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Mayu's eyes slowly averted to Mio's blouse, where she stared idly at the butterfly ribbon, "-It's just... everything that's happened-"

"It's okay," She shushed, running her fingers across Mayu's back. "None of this is your fault..."

'_Liar…'_

"But, things keep happening to me," Mayu explained, her voice beginning to deepen into a sob. "And you keep on having to… rescue me. If you hadn't been burdened…then maybe you would…you…would…"

"Stop it," she chided. "You're no burden to me."

Mayu hung her head in shame, the ebony bangs draping over her pretty face. "…I'm worthless…"

The younger twin shook her head, "That's not true, Mayu," reasoned Mio, her voice wavering. "You've brought me so much happiness in my life." She sniffled, the image of Mayu's cold, lifeless body still fresh in her mind.

"You…You're a part of me, Mayu. I would give anything in the world to be with you…"

Mayu calmly lifted her head up to Mio's with tears streaming out of her eyes, her face raw from crying.

"But… why," Mayu stammered, her bottom lip quivering. "I've caused you so much pain…"

Mio cradled her chin in her palm, choking back sobs, "Because, Mayu… I can't bear the thought of loosing you. I would be all alone in this world… with… no one to love.

'_She's always been so strong…and now…'_

A look of deep hope pulled up Mayu's delicate features after she said that, her eyes sparkling in that unique way of hers. "Really…?-(_sniff_) Do you mean it?"

A small smile graced Mio's lips. "Every word," she said, her hand stroking Mayu's face. "I don't know how I'd live without you. It would be like not having half of my soul. If you were gone…" she trailed off.

Tears of sadness reversed into tears of joy as Mayu's face turned up in a child-like smile. Mio wished she could bottle the look her sister had given right then, for it was undeniably priceless.

Mayu's hand tenderly squeezed Mio's shoulder as they looked at each other with unwavering affection, the intensity of the elder's gaze burning into Mio's own depths.

"Mayu…" she blushed.

The tingling sensation returned, this time stronger, more consistent. It felt… pleasurable. Of course, Mayu had to be feeling the same way too. They were twins, after all.

"Mio…" she murmured sleepily, her warm breath dancing along her blouse. Mayu's palm on her shoulder slid down her arm like silk, coming to rest on her sister's hip.

"I…" Mayu timdly grasped the soft flesh, and then she leaned forward, and planted a soft kiss on her sister's lips.

Mio's eyes widened almost immediately, Mayu's warm lips pressing gently against her own barely registering in her mind. A small moan escaped between Mayu as she applied soft suction to the kiss, her silky hair brushing across Mio's face. It wasn't much, just the mere caressing of rosy lips, but the warmth surged into a heat upon contact. Mio unwittingly moaned into her mouth, her skin heating up like she had never felt before.

Mayu's legs shifted slightly as they kissed, her milky-white thigh sliding further in between Mio's own silk laden legs. The younger girl whimpered softly, the pleasure increasing to a new level when Mayu's leg eased into her skirt. Her breathing drew more deeply, her body becoming warmer by the second. Slowly, Mio closed her eyes, letting the exciting new feelings sweep over her, and returned the kiss as softly as possible. "Mmmmmhh..."

Then, just as quickly as it began, Mayu pulled away, licking Mio's lips as they parted. A barely audible sigh left her throat, her hot breath tickling across the younger twin's wetted lips.

"Nnnnhh," Mayu opened her star-studded eyes to regard her twin, who at the moment was still reeling from the kiss. "Mio…"

Mio slowly opened her eyes, letting out a shaky breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding, and found Mayu looking right back. Her eyes held a lust and contentment that she had never seen before, giving the impression that her chocolate orbs were wavering.

"That… that was…" Mio ran her tongue curiously across her lips, the warm tingling still upon them. The kiss had left her breathless, her senses still swooning with newfound desire. She brought her fingers shyly to her mouth, the taste of strawberries lingering on her tongue.

"-Beautiful," Mayu added with a warm smile. Mio looked to her, who had a glassy shine to her eyes. The rosy color to her face was still there, and it was for certain that Mio herself had one as well.

"Yeah…" Mio lowered her head in thought, the weight of her actions finally weighing down on her shoulders. She knew the word to describe what they felt, but she didn't have the courage to sum it up in her head.

"Mio…?"

Mio lifted her head to see that familiar glint in Mayu's eyes, and felt her heart quicken in pace. "Y…yes…?" she replied faintly.

Mayu's hand on her hip was still there, only now it was sliding its way down to her lower thigh. "I love you…" she repeated softly. Her words held different meaning this time, her silky smooth voice underlying with desperation.

Mio shivered slightly, Mayu's hot breath tickling across her throat, "M-M-Mayu…" Her face felt hot, a light shade of pink coloring her flawless complexion.

Warning bells were going off inside her head. If she didn't stop this now…

"W-we should get out of here," Mio addressed quietly. "Who knows what else lurks in this place…"

She thought she saw Mayu pout, her facial expression turning down into a frown. But it could have been just the way the light emanating from above shined on her face.

"You're right…" Mayu replied softly. She gently pulled herself away from Mio's warm body, sitting upright as Mio did the same.

"Umm," Mayu brushed some hair out of her eyes, "Do you know where the camera is?" she asked while still blushing slightly.

Mio nearly smacked herself on the head. How could she have forgotten?

"Wait here," Mio stood up, looking down at the beautiful mane of ebony hair belonging to Mayu. She could sense just by her body language that Mayu was upset. Realizing the need to comfort her, Mio cupped her sister's chin in her hand and kissed her brow affectionately. "Don't worry," she said soothingly. "…There will be more time for us, later."

Mayu brightened visibly, blushing all the while as she gave a ginger smile. "…Okay." she replied.

Without a second glance, Mio turned away, thankful that Mayu wouldn't be able to see the scarlet shade under her eyes. She had just confirmed her own suspicions; Mayu was… in fact, desperately in love with her…

She found the Camera Obscura resting with the travel bag on the floor, right where Sae had tried to strangle her.

'_What do I do now?' _Mio scooped the items off the floor, precariously glancing at Mayu out of the corner of her eye. '_Does she really love me that much…?' _

Mayu caught her wayward gaze with her perceptive eyes, smiling amiably at the younger twin.

Mio nervously smiled back, somehow knowing that sooner or later… things would get out of hand...

Having checked the camera over for defects or flaws, Mio slung the travel bag over her shoulder and motioned for Mayu to follow.

"…Come on."

"Mm," Mayu nodded. Rising slowly to a standing position, Mayu feathered her bandaged leg and joined her sister's side, hooking her hand under Mio's arm as they moved together past the Shinto gates.

Unbeknownst to Mio, Mayu's body began to undergo a series of changes. And before the night was over, Mayu was going to become a butterfly of such profound beauty, that not one person or creature would be able to deny.

_"Together forever... my love..."_

* * *

**AN: Well, I believe you could call that the first Yuri sequence between the Amakura twins. (Nervously laughs) Though, I hope that someone doesn't get offended by reading this. **

**What's going to happen to Mayu… or Sae for that matter? And will Mio be able to hold off on her sister's "advances" before she gives in? Keep reviewing to find out!**

**Thanks everyone!**

Special Note: (added 1/16/07) For those of you who feel inclined to see omake versions of the Yuri scenes, check out the Mature section of Fatal Frame. It's called _Light and Dark_, and currently I have only the first chapter up. Please review it when you have the time, thanks.


	5. Reminiscence

_Edited (04/27/07): For some strange reason, my Document manager has been acting rather choatic lately. First, a six chapter had appeared, only with the wrong document uploaded. Then the fifth chapter was added, only there was no url. And now--this fanfic had been updated with the same content twice??? Hopefully, I can get this problem dealt with, before it starts to wreak havoc on my other fanfics as well._

_Oh, and btw:__ Holding a fanfic hostage over a bunch of damn reviews is the last thing I'd ever want to do. And after due consideration, I'm leaving it at that; they are just reviews.. It's the reader's decision to read what they want to read, and it is also their decision to review someone else's work. Surely, I should know this, but lately I have been a bit too egotistical for my own good, and as such, I will put an end to such nonsense. :) Have fun reading!_

_P.S. I can take annonymous reviews now._

**Warning:** This story contains Yuri, so please do not read if you are appalled by such a thing.

**Disclaimer:** Fatal Frame (a.k.a. Project Zero) is the rightful property of Tecmo. All characters, locations, and plots based on the Fatal Frame series, are all property of Tecmo. So keep the wolves at bay, and let me write again for another day

**_A full moon shaded by dark clouds loomed over the Lost Village, its eternal gaze shining down upon the hillside to claim everything with its radiance, Living or dead. Shadows danced about in the trees that swayed under the wind's guidance and sent red leaves of the late fall into frenzied flight. One drifted silently back and forth in limbo, caught in the invisible grip of a gentle breeze to be carried away to a place forgotten in time..._**

* * *

**Reminiscence**

* * *

**News Headline: "People Go Missing in Minakami" **

By last month, Masumi Makimura (26) and his fiancée Miyako Sudo (25) had gone missing in the Minakami dam area. Now, yet another case has been reported. The police have been called in to investigate. The missing people are Tokyo resident Shizu Amakura (35) and her twin daughters Mayu (15) and Mio Amakura (15). On summer vacation, Mayu visited the village near the dam with her twin sister, Mio, when they suddenly disappeared. According to the girls' uncle, Kei Amakura (24), the twins were going for an afternoon stroll around the lake. When neither of them had returned later that evening, he began to fear the worse and called the authorities. 

"They hardly ever stay out after nightfall," he says. "When they didn't arrive home I knew that something was wrong." 

The police searched the entire park for several hours questioning anyone and everyone that might have known about the Amakura Twins' last whereabouts, but to no avail. Due to poor weather conditions they eventually had to call off the search. 

Kei Amakura has been praying for his nieces' safe return ever since. 

The relative of Mio and Mayu has recently contracted an illness that has left his health poor, and the added stress of his missing nieces has not helped matters. When asked by the local police if he would like to be admitted to a hospital, he adamantly refused. 

"I want to stay here," he said. "I know they'll come back, they always do…" 

So far, the police have no leads and no suspects, although many suggest that Mio and Mayu could have been kidnapped. 

"This kind of thing happens far too often these days," one detective said. "Girls their age are prime targets for perpetrators and the like; we can only hope that they are found very soon." 

On top of the twins' disappearance several officers have gone missing as well, all within the same region; their names are being withheld at this time. 

The Minakami mountain area has historically had many cases of missing persons. Some analysts presume that as many as seventy-six people have vanished in the region over the course of a century; "cursed land" definitely comes to mind to the dozen or so families that live in the southwest portion of the mountains. 

As myths of "Spirited Aways" are popular in the area, this incident is also rumored to be one such "Spirited Away," although the police are reluctant to make any such statements public. 

The police are still investigating the disappearance of Shizu Amakura (35) however, who as of today, has been missing for at least six weeks. Shizu was also in the Minakami area when she went missing. 

* * *

_"Why…" _

Sitting upon the tatami mats in a decrepit corner of the deserted Osaka House, the spirit of Miyako Sudo lingered. Caught in the drift between life and death, she could feel only pain. No joy, no fond memories, just pure sadness. Her soft cries for salvation went unheard, however. And for the first time ever in afterlife, she did something that ghosts could never do: she cried.

_'I wish for the pain to end…' _she murmured, face buried in her hands._ 'Why must it be this way…?' _

Miyako had been wondering that very same question for the past fortnight. Plaguing her mind like a cancer, it was all she could think about anymore, driving her to the brink of madness.

_"I hate this place…" _her words were frigid, laced with icy venom. _"…I hate it…I hate it… I hate it!" _

Loneliness, despair, and overwhelming sadness gripped her heart. Miyako was a lost soul, with no one to care for her, no one to hold her, no one… to love her…

Such a travesty human emotion, when one such as herself no longer needed to feel… anything.

_"I wish to die,"_ she stated ruefully to the dark. _"I want to end this nightmare…" _

And yet, something was pulling her back, telling her not to give in to darkness; or to be more precise, someone.

It was not her long lost lover Masumi. It was not her friends or her family. It was the most unlikely person imaginable…

_Her… _

Miyako stared blankly at her bare feet, choking on sobs. _'I do not understand… __What is it that draws me to you?' _

Was it her beauty; her grace? She had to know. She _wanted_ to know.

Though, ever since her run-in with the young girl, Miyako had become very apprehensive to even so much as go near her.

_'That camera…'_ Miyako shuddered. It hurt so much when it was used against her: Like driving freezing metal spikes into her body. The pain suffused her skin like it was burning from the inside out.

Pulling her ethereal legs into her chest, Miyako mused over the lingering scent of the girl whose actions still reverberated deep within her mind.

_"Who… are… you?" _

* * *

A lonely figure, her kimono stained in blood, laid curled on the floor of the Deluxe Tatami Room, crying into silence. The flickering flames of torches played a soft yellow glow on one side of the pretty girl's tear stained face; a tranquil setting drowned in the perplexity and sorrow of one girl, her disturbing thoughts hovering over her head like a dreadful cloud. 

_"Sae, it's not her! Can't you see that?!" _

_The young twin started weeping. "Please…please…" _

_"This is Mio, for who she truly is." _

"What have I done?" she sobbed. Even if she were a murderous spirit, underneath all the blood and coldness of her skin, she was still Sae; the sad, frightened young girl whose only solace… was death.

Cerulean tears fell from their icy depths as they trailed down alabaster skin. "Yae," she whimpered softly, her voice so sad and confused. "(Hic…): Why didn't you come back? I kept waiting… and waiting…"

Crimson Butterflies, dozens of them, danced quietly around the failed Shrine Maiden a few feet from the ground. They fluttered in close, trying to appease the young girl's pain with their beauty and majestic grace.

Her grief however, was much deeper than their tiny little minds could ever comprehend. Sae brought her hands to her head, wrestling with her thoughts. Nearly a century had passed since that terrible night, the night she fell to darkness… becoming a god. And All God's Village had paid the price for their selfish desires to live; exacting revenge on those that had once been her friends… neighbors… family.

She could still hear their pleas for help; mercy upon their souls for the young Maiden to spare them: Which she had not. Tens, hundreds, maybe even thousands had died by her hand, snuffed out by her simple touch.

The screams: that's what she remembered most… such a terrible blood-curdling sound, some of them belonging to children…

_'I cannot atone,'_ she thought somberly. Sae curled further into her soft embrace, holding her arms tightly around her slender waist, unsaturated pink lips trembling ever so. The tears continued to flow down her lovely face, much the like the creeping blood that still stained the inner walls of her troubled mind.

Each year went by like the last, the Malice crept forth from the Abyss, the villager's died, and she cackled madly into the night; a never-ending cycle of pain and deceit,… lies and betrayal, love and rapture. Despite the repetitive forgoing of ending human life, her bloodlust never tired. Even after all this time she still took great pleasure in murdering those who stood in her way. Tens, hundreds, maybe even thousands had died by her hand, snuffed out by her simple touch.

Sae had relived it night, after night, after endless night.

And yet, it had all been for naught. She had always hoped that one day her dear sister would finally return home. And together, they would become one, just like she had always dreamed of.

…Only she didn't, and now she had to live on, in this hell she had once called home.

_'Onee-chan…why have you forsaken me…?' _

**_"You were supposed to come back for me!" _**she screeched. Her eyes burned a fiery red, and a force akin to a windstorm exploded away from her, blasting the doors off of their frames to crash into the walls. The butterflies edged away from the distressed deity, her dark aura causing the candles' flames to waver, nearly extinguishing them from the black miasma.

Sae, suddenly horrified by her outburst, placed her face in her hands and wept, the crimson butterflies resuming their trepid waltz as if nothing had occurred.

Through the sobs, Sae kept repeating:

_"You promised…Yae. You promised…-(sob) you promised…!" _

Forever she had wandered the restless nights alone, in this dark and forbidden place, wanting to feel whole again, wanting to love again. Yae was the only person that had ever made her feel that way.

And then… when all hope appeared to have been lost, _she _appeared …

At long last, Sae had found that spark, the flame buried deep in her heart rekindled. Her life held new meaning, Purpose. Someone she could hold hands with as they fell perpetually into darkness.

Only… it was not Yae that had returned. Or rather, her incarnate, a person that contained the very spirit of Yae within her, waiting to be released.

That person was…

"Mio." the words slipped past her lips unconsciously, like the name was family to her.

Sae buried her hands in her jet-black hair and let out a shaky sigh. Just seeing those tear streaked eyes of the girl in her mind's eye again, made her want to cry even harder. What she had done to Mio was beyond torture: the screams of agony made her cringe even still.

And yet… she also felt a stirring in her heart for this girl, one that pulled at the strings, never letting go.

"Mio…" she sniffled, fingers touching to her lips. "Why is it that I feel this way for you…? Why does my heart that is so cold and hollow… beat so strongly for you…?"

The ebony bangs draping over her face shifted, flowing elegantly from her head to obscure her piercing azure eyes through a dark canopy of raven silk. It made her look haunted, even more so with her alabaster skin.

Everything was changing, even she for that matter, both physically and spiritually.

_'Yae… I… what should I do…?' _

Sae reached up and touched her frail neck with cold fingers, caressing the reddened bruise in thought. Had it really been worth sacrificing herself, she wondered? So many deaths… so much suffering… was it all just to see Yae again? Was it enough to become one?

She didn't know what to believe anymore.

"Please, Yae…" Sae started to weep again, "Come back to me… " She had been alone for so long… and now it was killing her.

"I… I-I'm lost without you," she drawled. "I want to feel you again; all of you. Your touch…, your skin…, your lips…" the failed altar twin snuffled, and shifted on the Tatami floor so that she was looking up at the crimson insects drifting around her in a halo of sparkling red dust.

A glistening droplet loosened itself from its cerulean pool, streaking across the pale skin of her face. "I love you, Yae…" she said shakily.

Sae closed her eyes, letting the tears run unchecked. "Please… save me…"

An eerie silence ensued, splintered only by the choked sobs coming from the once, pure Shrine Maiden.

Unnoticed by Sae, the butterflies were no longer fluttering carelessly about.

They were merging together…

Each one was being consumed by the other, adding to the amalgamation that was becoming something new.

The candle flames suddenly flickered from orange to crimson, burning like the color of blood. Shadows upon the walls and the floors snaked through the air, wrapping like a dark cocoon around the glowing sphere above Sae.

And from that shell… there came a new form.

Wings of black, suffused with cobalt blue and violet tattoos as vein-like drawings. Crimson dust that once was had now been turned to snowy white, like the glow of a distant star.

The artistic expression of darkness glided placidly onto the beautiful, youthful girl's head. Sae ceased to cry, and opened her sparkling eyes, idly regarding the insect situated upon its lavish perch.

"What are you…?" she asked, her voice seemingly lost.

A slight flap of wings, and then, in a saccharinely, soft voice... it answered:

_"…… I… am, Chiyo. ...Your time for reclamation is at hand." _

Before Sae could make a sound, her body was reduced to ashes, leaving behind only a dark outline on the floor.

* * *

Suddenly, Sae was falling, into a darkened void with only the wind whistling in her ears as any indication. Every instinct told her to scream, but the breath in her lungs was no longer there. 

'Is this the end…?' she thought, half-wish, half-afraid.

Down and down she fell, into the seemingly infinite darkness, her virgin white kimono flowing outward like the wings of an angel.

_"You shall be rendered anew… failed priestess," _boomed a hideously deep voice, its tone sounding neither human nor depicting any sense of emotion. _"You have forgotten what it is that binds your life to us… And for that error, you must be abridged for your decadence." _

After so much time had come to pass, her back collided with an unbridling sub-zero liquid. Her eyes widened, if only for an instant, as she was being pulled under… never to be seen or heard from again.

Sae's life flashed before her eyes, all the fond memories with her love brought on by anguish and despair. Tears of misfortune fell from her cold depths once more, even as the Malice flooded her features for a second time.

----

_Yae and Sae were resting in each other's arms on a futon, somewhere in the Kurosawa manor. Like two white-clad angels, they shared a loving embrace that neither time nor death could ever end. Orange candle-light cast the mood across the twin's paper walls, melodic and serene. _

_For a time, neither of them said a word. Their porcelain faces like a mirror of infatuation, their hazel eyes gazing dreamily, unwaveringly back. _

_It was a lust that was forbidden… _

_"This is the final night we will be in the village," said Yae, her warm breath a whisper across Sae's neck. _

_"Yes…," answered a love-struck Sae. "All that we once knew… will be no more."_

_The eldest twin had her lips a hair away from her sister's, inviting… _

_Sae leaned in, her mouth agape. "Yae…" she moaned. Her raven silk fell over her eyes... just as their lips touched._

_"I love you…"_

_Yae shuddered, the mere caressing of smooth, pink skin making her body quiver with lust. The last wire of resistance she had was soon to be lost. _

_"Sae…" she whispered. Warm, soft lips met with hers in a soulful, ardent kiss... the gesture overflowing with emotion. It nearly took her breath away..._

_So passionate... and yet so gentle..._

_Yae's eyelids relented, just as Sae buried her fingers in her silky locks, the mu__ffled moans slipping past them into the night as they deepened their love ever more. Slowly, Yae wrapped her arms around her sister's soft figure... the untamable fire burning through the younger twin. _

_Their movements became more feverish, heated._

_The boundary separating them between love and affection... was shattered._

_Lips were soon followed by tongues, the kiss turning into pure ecstasy. It was perfect. Smooth pink lips opening and closing in sync with each other, the twins' psychic link letting them see what the other was about to do. __Their tongues did a languid dance of swirls together, a__ bridge of glistening saliva flowing between their mouths._

_They were one... body and soul._

___"Mmmph…" __Sae tilted her head to one side, and pushed her tongue as deep as she could between Yae's lips, massaging her sister's own as she tasted her. _

_She was sweet... just like always. _

_Out of half-closed eyes, she could see the surprise in Yae's sparkling, hazel depths, her stifled moans trembling past pink lips._ _The elder drew her sister's tongue into her hot, wet mouth, claiming Yae as hers… and her alone._

_'Our bond… ', thought Sae._

_Can never be broken…' Yae finished._

_When they finally parted... a small gasp broke the silence between the twins, strings of glistening love falling away from sugar-coated lips. _

_They had contented looks on their youthful faces, a touch of crimson under their eyes. Both of their hearts were racing… both panting excitedly in their orange-tinted room… _

_But they were far from finished..._

_With a slight move, Sae straddled her sister's stomach, her figure clenching in desire. The look in her eyes at that moment couldn't have been more feral. Biting her lower lip, her hands started moving of their own accord along Yae's body, tracing her curves. _

_"This is what we have always wanted…" she spoke, her words dripping with honey. _

_Tears were streaming down Yae's face, eyes hidden behind ebony bangs. "I don't want to lose you…" she said, reaching for her twin's face. _

_Sae relished the welcome contact, eyes fluttering closed as Yae cupped her face in her soft, warm palm. _

_"Mmm…" Sae's own eyes glistened like wavering pools. She wanted Yae… all of her… _

_The elder twin returned the gesture, lacing her fingers behind her love's head in lavish silk. "I'm yours… my love…" she leaned in. "…Forever…" _

_And then… she took her… _

_----_

Through the darkened Abyss, where the Malice covered her face and body like a veil, Sae reached out with a trembling hand, grasping towards the heavens.

_'Yae… Mio…… I'm so sorry…'_

* * *

On the Tatami floor where she once laid, the ashes congealed together into a single spot. What started as a pinpoint of darkened matter, gradually expanded into a small pool of inks, the colors of crimson, violet, and deep blue swirling and molding together like an abstract tie-dye. 

A hand, cold and intricately tattooed, reached out of the placid lake, ink dripping from its smooth arm as it rose up.

Shimmering lines of crimson light rippled indolently in the syrupy fluid, a cherry glow blooming out from the candles over the waters. And from the arm a figure ascended, her body etched with tattoos, imbued with the souls of many.

The inks heavy, and sparkling like gold-enriched honey, sluiced down the young woman's slender body, naked from the waist up, dripping lazily from her hair and extremities. She lifted her head indolently, eyelids snapping open, alabaster lips agape, the impossibly long hair spilling over her nubile form like dark silk.

The girl… was astoundingly beautiful; Rivaling even the almighty god, Athena herself. Her skin was as pale as the moon, softer than freshly churned milk, and pleasingly covered by the indigos and reds of tattoos adorning her flawless body.

Blue black hair, colored like the blood of a thousand dead souls flowed from her head to the darkened pool submerging her ankles, tapering straight down like a velvet waterfall. The very tips of her lustrous locks were tinged in a deep purple, almost akin to a watered down red as they drifted idly along in the freezing pool. A sheet of unruly ebony-blue bangs hung down over her forehead to accentuate Sae's pretty, triangular-shaped face.

And her eyes... oh by the Gods above, her windows to the soul were beautiful beyond all imagination. Mesmerizing and at the same time striking fear; one would not know what to do once locked in their enthralling snare. The sclera around the pupil was now completely black, save for the hint of tattoos emblazoned within them. Cobalt irises burned through her dark depths, paralyzing all those that stood under her penetrating gaze.

She was the very epitome of epiphany; a true goddess of beauty and elegance.

And when she spoke her voice was so soft, so yielding that it carried the very essence of innocence. Pure, untainted.

_"The ritual…" _a faint curling of lips, _"…is just beginning." _

* * *

On that solemn and lifeless night, where the full moon bled crimson, and the stars above were painted over black. The young maiden that was Sae Kurosawa... had become reborn. 

Nothing would remain the same in All God's Village... _ever_ again.

* * *

_AN: This is becoming a lot more fantasy based than I had originally planned, but hey I'm trying, right? I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, and will continue to delve into this story of mine. I've added the name of the priestess, Kyoko, into Ch.4 as foreshadowing for those of you who reread this fic multiple times.XD _

_Also, be sure to read "Lament" once your done. It seems to have gone sorely overlooked for quite awhile now. Thanks!_

_"Chiyo" is Japanese for thousand years; eternal, and "Kyoko" literally means: a mirror. This has double meaning in Mayu's case, because she not only has deep feelings for Mio, (hence of course, the Yuri involved.), but also because Mio's own inner desires are manifestations in what she sees reflected upon from Mayu._

_...Cool, huh? Stay tuned!_


	6. Awaken

**Warning:** This story contains Yuri, so please do not read if you are appalled by such a thing.

**Disclaimer:** Fatal Frame (a.k.a. Project Zero) is the rightful property of Tecmo. All characters, locations, and plots based on the Fatal Frame series, are all property of Tecmo. So keep the wolves at bay, and let me write again for another day

**_A full moon shaded by dark clouds loomed over the Lost Village, its eternal gaze shining down upon the hillside to claim everything with its radiance, Living or dead. Shadows danced about in the trees that swayed under the wind's guidance and sent red leaves of the late fall into frenzied flight. One drifted silently back and forth in limbo, caught in the invisible grip of a gentle breeze to be carried away to a place forgotten in time..._**

* * *

**Awaken**

* * *

_'It's all, my fault.'_

_Falling…_

_'I should have never been born.'_

_Falling……_

_'Mio…I'm sorry.'_

_Falling………_

_)(_

_)(_

_"…Mayu?"_

_Through the emptiness of the dark abyss, a barely audible voice called out._

_'Wait, who is that?'_

_A pin prick of light broke through the darkness, and slowly expanded outward._

_"…Mayu--?" The light was drawing her in._

_It was a girl…somehow strangely familiar._

_"Mayu," The voice sounded crystal clear._

_Mayu awakened with a gasp, eyes wide... ...and stared in horror at the sight before her. A sea of red set against a black, starless sky stretched out across the horizon, the only source of light seemed to emanate from the water itself which bathed the young teen in an unnatural red glow. Mayu looked down and gasped to see that she was ankle deep in the swirling, black and red substance. Is…is this blood?  
She hoped to God that it wasn't, because if water didn't have the kind of viscosity as the stuff beneath her feet did, then she didn't know what else could. The thought of walking on a sea of blood alone was enough to make her feel uneasy._

_Mayu trudged forward through the liquid, her boots sloshing through the water. She wasn't sure where to go, let alone where to start looking. Apart from a few islets far off in the distance, the place was completely devoid of life. A gentle breeze carried forth the scent of something coppery._

_Like the smell of blood._

_The teen wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered._

_"Hello?" she asked to the impossible void. "Is anyone…here?"_

_Mayu wasn't sure how long she had wandered through the desolate world, it felt like forever. She stopped momentarily at a small, rounded object protruding about six inches from the water, the dark water spiraling away from the mystery item._

_What is this? It wasn't even here until now._

_From this distance, Mayu was able to make out its features more clearly._

_It looks like… a butterfly._

_Mayu reached out to it…_

_Before her fingers even grazed the creature, its wings enveloped her wrist, transforming into a dark band. Mayu recoiled in shock, then screamed out loud as pain lanced through her arm. She tried tearing the thing away with her other hand, only to burn herself._

_"Let go! Let Go!" It felt like someone was carving into her skin with a hot blade. Still, the butterfly would not come off, latching itself deeper into her smooth flesh. She let out a cry of helplessness, tears forming in her eyes as the insect's body was burrowed deep into tissue and bone._

_"Ahh…!" Mayu gripped her wrist to somehow ease the pain, though to no avail. She just wanted the pain… this nightmare to end, and then she could wake up back at her uncle's house and with her sister…_

_Then she saw what was happening…and froze. The black mass was turning into etchings, drawings of some kind that slowly cascaded down her arm like veins._

_Tattoos…they were tattoos._

_Mayu's eyes became tiny pin-pricks as she watched the red and black ink claw its way to her shoulder, the bruising turning her skin pale. With awestruck horror and numb fascination she held her hand up to her face, slowly rotating it as the tattoo devoured her flesh like a cancer._

_This can't be…_

_The eldest twin let out a cry as the dark pool of blood surrounding her body started to rise around her, pulsating like it was alive. The dark essence flooded into Mayu, making her back arch involuntarily. She could feel it, inside, moving amongst her organs. It felt…intoxicating._

_"Nnnnghhh… Ahhhhh…!"_

_Mayu wanted to run, her legs feeling like dead weight. It was like her entire body had turned numb. It was so painful, far worse than the time she twisted her leg as a small child._

_Mayu opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out._

_The ink spread across her chest, the pain suddenly intensifying to near oblivion. Mayu fell to her knees, tears bursting forth as she clutched her heart with shaky hands. The tattoos on the maiden's flesh bled out over her skin, eliciting a painful jolt in her body._

_"Agghh…!" she gasped out load, struggling to breathe._

_Am I… dying?_

_She let out a moan, a guttural sound of dread, pain, and agony as she started to hyperventilate. She could feel it, every inch, every centimeter; death's cold hand reaching for her heart._

_"Mio," she whispered, terrified beyond belief. "Help… me."_

_It's not real she told herself, it was just a dream, a horrible nightmare. Any minute now she would wake up in her bed at home…_

_Then the howling began..._

_It was low at first, but quickly rose into an unearthly sound as it rang out across the air, like the fierce winds of a gale._

_Impossible... nothing of this earth that she knew of could make that horrendous sound._

_The dysfunctional orchestra rose and fell like waves, a high-pitched ringing in her ears, reaching all the way into her mind._

_Mayu's voice was shaky, a faint murmur of sound escaping her paling lips, "P-Please… some-one…"_

_She fell back with a loud splash into the blood lake, her eyes wide with terror as she gasped for air. The pain was immense, and yet she could not scream, or cry, or breathe. All the twin was able to do was lay there as the crimson liquid soaked her ebony hair into the color of garnets._

_Just as the tattoos reached her eyes, she was pulled under…_

* * *

Mio wandered cautiously through the Kurosawa house with Mayu Amakura in tow, the eldest holding Mio's hand like her life depended on it. A deep wind was heard as ambience in the background, howling through the dark.

It was fortunate that Mio had found her beloved sister before she came to harm, otherwise… she probably wouldn't have known what to do with herself…

Apart from the cloth that hung down over the wooden arches of the hall, there was nothing to be seen. Stepping into said hallway, Mio closed her eyes and concentrated, letting her sixth sense tune into all of the surroundings in order to feel any presence that may be lurking in the shadows.

It was a mixed blessing, her ability to foresee danger. Ever since childhood Mio and her sister had been able to feel, and see things that… most people their age were not accustomed to: The altar plane; the realm where spirits walked; The Other Side.

Once, there were a great many followers, believers of this Other Side, so much so, that they in fact created entire religions to worship this altered reality. But… as the world moved on, people stopped believing. Spirits, ghosts, all of it was nothing more than a pretense to the common societies of today's modern times, ideas conjured up by crazed villagers and old wives tales up in the mountains around Minakami.

Thus, the very existence of the Other Side was lost to time, forgotten, for hundreds of years…

Mio felt absorbed by her surroundings; the nary wind breathing upon her neck, the low howling through the cracks in the worn oak walls, the dampness of the darkness. Yet, there was nothing more…

Mio turned to her sister. "Mayu, can you feel anything?"

Mayu slowly closed her eyes for several moments, then opened them, "No," came her reply.

Mio had figured as much. Mayu was far more sensitive to the "Other World' than herself and would have voiced her concern if she felt to.

"That's good…" Mio smiled slightly at her. "I think we've had enough surprises for one lifetime."

Camera in hand, Mio moved down the dark corridor, Mayu not far behind. The elder twin however could not take her eyes off her sister… staring at her with something akin to lustful intentions.

Intentions that were not only of her own accord…

Mio pushed a door open and peered around the corner to see if there was something; or to more precise _someone,_ waiting in the dark to pounce upon them.

'_How much longer…?' _Mayu thought to herself giddily. _'How long must it take before you finally see, dear sister…?'_

* * *

The long-haired girl known as Sae could sense their coming as she curled patiently on the futon in her bedroom, warm candlelight playing out against the dark angel's magnificently pale and tattooed skin. Having dashed aside the trappings of her white kimono, the naked girl held her arms close to her breasts, hugging herself tightly. Dainty length of ebony hair fell all around her pale form, accentuating her in a divinity very few beings could possess on this Earth.

A devious grin spread across Sae's beautiful features, a small giggle filling the room.

"Soon, my love… We will be together again."

Sae's delightful Unification was starting to fall into place. Soon, Kyoko would begin to awaken within the girl she'd been bound to. And when that time came, Mio would be powerless to resist them both…

For she was the key… to set them unbound unto the world.

"I'm waiting for you…" she breathed, cold cerulean eyes piercing through the dark. Her voice became eclipsed with that of another, the priestess Chiyo mirroring her very soul.

"_-As we always have…"_

* * *

Mio was not sure how long she had been walking, let alone where to in the Kurosawa's mansion… only that, once she had stopped, she found herself back in a room far too familiar for her liking.

"Sae…"

Staring at the old futon where the Shrine Maiden had once resided in brought about old memories, visions that were not of Mio's own experience…

-An everlasting nightmare, which no one would be waking from, and all because Yae had left her sister behind.

'_How could she have done this to her…? What had Sae ever done to deserve this…-'_

A pair of hands slid around her waist from behind, Mayu pressing close into Mio's back. It was so sudden that it nearly caused her to jump.

"I'm sorry…" Mayu whispered sweetly, noting that small flinch in her sister.

The younger twin glanced over her shoulder momentarily, a timid blush creeping up onto her perfect features. "It's alright," she responded softly. "Are… are you okay…?"

Mio shuddered at the purring sound coming from Mayu's lips, the elder girl delicately wrapping her arms around her dainty figure.

"I'm feeling a little cold…" she murmured, her hot breath dancing along Mio's neck. Shivering slightly, Mio closed her eyes as an awkward silence ensued. Without realizing it she became keenly aware of Mayu's figure pressing into her. The deliciously malleable curves and soft flesh scented with the sweetness of strawberries and vanilla.

"Will you… warm me?" Mayu asked, her voice becoming softer. She slid her palms scintillatingly along Mio's heavenly supple abdomen, coming rather close to her navel and breasts.

"Hmmm…"

Mio wasn't shocked, and she felt the tingling sensation again, rippling through her body as her sister's hands stroked her tummy through her shirt. Mio closed her eyes, and let the silence between them reign on, barely suppressing her contentment at the welcomed contact. Her touch felt so stimulating on her skin, the gentle caresses from Mayu's tentative fingers sending showers of warmth up and down her spine. Without thinking about it, Mio found herself pressing back against her.

"Mmmmm," Mayu murmured sleepily. The elder twin nuzzled her face into her neck as her embrace tightened, pulling Mio flush with her increasingly warm body. With one smallish hand planted firmly on her navel, Mayu slid the other appreciatively up Mio's slender stomach to her chest, her palm gliding across her shirt like silk.

The startlingly bold motion sent Mio's thoughts into a scattered mess, her breath drawing more deeply as Mayu murmured softly into her neck, her hand mapping every contour, every curve of her sister's body as it climbed ever higher…

"Mi-ho…" she whispered; her voice a soft melody of beautiful sounds. Her warm breath fanned across Mio's nape, her lips hovering precariously close to her perfect unblemished skin. "Mmmm…"

Mio shuddered under her sister's milk-soft cuddle as pale, slender fingers traced the curve of her breast starting form the underside and making their way up…

"M-Mmph…"

Heat bloomed underneath her skin as the feeling of Mayu's well-rounded form washed over her, the sudden sensations made Mio's heart jump, excitement and fear pooling inside her all at once.

"Mayu… we…" she countered, trailing off.

A pair of warm, angel soft lips pressed against Mio's neck, caressing her alabaster skin in loving, wet smooches. Mio stiffened in her arms briefly as she let out a hushed moan.

"Unh," she sighed, stroking her sister's hands. Heat like a small flame started to kindle in her stomach. Feeling her knees weaken, she leaned back against Mayu, craning her head back slightly to let it rest on the crook of her shoulder. She reveled in the scent of Mayu's lustrously soft hair as it brushed over her cheek, the satiny softness of her lips…

"Nnn…"

Mio tilted her head to one side as Mayu began to nibble on her skin just beneath the jaw, pressing her lips harder into her neck.

"Mio… oh, Mio…" it became a charm for her, whispering her name sweetly into Mio's ear between kisses.

Mayu slid her open palm gingerly over Mio's breast, placating her hand on the soft flesh. Her left hand roamed sensuously along Mio's soft bosom, cupping, massaging…

"Nnnmmmhh," she moaned quietly on her shoulder, the stimulation from her lips making Mio's body that much warmer. Mio reveled in the lavishing kisses from her sister, her skin crawling with life under Mayu's gentle touch. The tingling rose in her body like a flood, the pleasure taking complete control.

"Oh, Mayu…" she cooed, timidly leaning her head back.

"Mmmmm," Mayu murmured sleepily. The twin's hand affectionately clung to Mio's belly as she encircled her slim figure with her buttery-soft arms. She lovingly kissed every square inch of Mio's creamy skin, tracing the outside of her lips with her own as she smothered her face with tenderly care.

Her mind fell into a void of ecstasy as Mayu's tongue slithered across her cheek, coming dangerously close to her lips as she kissed her way in.

A soft groan shook Mio from her reverie, a sound not unlike pain reaching her ears.

"Nnnggh… stay away…… _Hee-hee-hee…_"

Mio's heart skipped a beat as the words left her sister's throat, the hairs on her neck standing on end.

'What was…, Is Mayu…?'

"Stop, leave me alone," Mayu cried softly. "… (((_Take my soul, and herald thy body of sacred fire …_)))" a hauntingly soft, yet bespoken voice whispered.

Mio felt a cold chill run down her spine, and a dagger of extreme mortal terror creeping into her very heart. The only time she ever heard her sister speaking like this was when…

'The other spirits…'she thought nervously. 'They are using her as a medium.'

"_Kyo-ko… the priestess of twilight…" _

Mio's eyes began to widen, her pupils shrinking. The voice… it didn't sound right, like it was tainted. Not unlike Sae, but something… or _someone_ more powerful.

"M-Ma-y-y-yu," she asked, her lips trembling with fright. Her gaze swept slowly around first, following the decrepit and dilapidated walls until she reached the corner of her eyelids.

She was so afraid to look…

"_The Unification…" _she continued. _"Where two, become one… _N-No……!" said Mayu in a tiny, constrained voice. "…I won't let you…!"

The youngest twin peered cautiously over her shoulder; halfway expecting the thing behind her to lung out and end her life. "Mayu…?"

She turned around…

…and found that her sister had fallen several paces behind her. She was stooped over while hugging herself tightly, eyes squeezed shut. Her lustrous midnight hair was like a sparkling curtain of halo dust as it covered her face, falling away to the floor like a jade carpet of streaked gems in the moonlight.

Mayu shuddered, gave a struggled gasp, and then, giggled slightly… _"Our time is almost here…" _she said giddily, rising slowly upright. A smile, too beautiful to be pure of heart crept onto the raven-haired girl's pale lips._ "Soon, all that which we crave will be upon us. Nothing will stop-" _

Mio couldn't take it anymore, "MAYU!"

Like magic, Mayu's demeanor changed instantly. Her blazing indigo eyes of blue flame extinguished as if by blowing out a candle.

They locked eyes.

"Mio…?" she tilted her head to the side, blinking slowly. "What's… wrong…?"

Streaks of tears fell away from Mio's fear-stricken, chocolate eyes. "M-Mayu…--!!"

For a moment Mayu was completely speechless. She had not a clue as to what had just transpired, confusion playing out on her flawless face.

"M-Mio…?" she repeated. She made a step towards her other self. "Wha…"

Then… the recognition came flooding back like a tidal wave unleashed on her mind.

'_It's only just begun…' _her other self whispered in her mind. _'Soon, my love, your flesh shall be molded of smokeless fire and your soul unconcealed by radiant light.' _

"Mio…--" she whimpered, her eyes wavering with profound tears ready to burst forth from their chocolate pools, "Wha-… What's happening to me?"

Mayu began to shiver vigorously. Even from this distance Mio could see her twin's lips quivering. The older girl laced her fingers into her hair, breathed in, and let out a piercing shriek that would have woken the dead.

The eyes of blue flame returned just as she screamed, _**"Ahhhhhhhh!"**_

Mio was terrified of her then. She had taken two steps back when Mayu's body began to resonate with a crimson aura, setting the room ablaze with red light. Thunder seemed to roll in from nowhere, windstorms swept through the halls, slamming doors shut while destroying others completely in the manor.

"Leave me alone! Keep away from my Mio-chan!" she cried out. "She's mine…! She's mine to love… she's-"

Suddenly, she fell limp against the wall, sliding down at a staggered pace, her convulsions still wracking her frail body.

For several moments, Mio had forgotten to breathe. The deafening silence accompanied by her pounding heartbeat all seeming too surreal. And then, her mind kicked into overdrive. Remnants of crimson dust sparkled ever still around Mayu's form, and those mesmerizing blue eyes of an eternal flame had been closed once more.

"Mayu!" the youngest twin was at her side in moments, cradling Mayu in her arms; who was breathing heavily.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Mayu chanted the words. She was shivering so severely that one would think she was dying of the cold.

"I'm so sorry…! I'm so sorry…! I'm so sorr-"

"Please, Mayu! Look at me!" she cried out. Placing her sister's cheek in her palm, Mio turned Mayu's panic-stricken face towards hers. "It's okay! I'm here for you!"

In her panic, she couldn't even hear her own breathing, which was hitched and heaving.

Whether it was from fear or the cold she was uncertain.

The elder twin snuffled loudly, her eyes becoming bleary, "I……I'm…!"- Mayu started to weep inconsolably as she burst into tears. She hid her face in Mio's chest, crying softly, the shame and guilt apparent in her grief stricken eyes.

"I'm sorry, (hic)…I'm sorry!" she repeated over again. Mio choked out a sob as her sister practically pleaded to her, Mayu's arms nearly crushing her in the embrace.

"I've caused you so much pain…you'd be better off without me."

Mio brought her arms around Mayu. "Please stop," she pleaded, choking back sobs.

"I don't deserve to exist…" Mayu herself was beginning to cry. "Because of me, your life…- (sniff)… has been nothing but suffering."

Mayu's voice was so soft, and yet the passion behind her words was stronger than Mio ever wanted to hear.

"Ma-yu," she cried. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. All this time, Mayu had been hiding this from her, holding it in.

"I'm too weak," she continued. "I've always held you down…" The last part made Mayu's voice hitch, the meaning of her words slipping away with the tears.

Several sobs escaped the younger twin's pink lips, her vision blurred by all the tears.

"You…you would be much happier… if I… weren't here." She hid her face in Mio's chest, crying softly, the shame and guilt apparent in her grief stricken eyes.

This was killing Mio inside. It felt like someone was tearing her heart out with cold, dead hands. She started shaking as her hands gripped Mayu tightly.

"M-Mayu," she whimpered, her trembling hands seeking to pull Mayu closer. "I…I can't…"

Mayu sniffled, letting out a shaky sigh, and said:

"Why…why couldn't I have just died?"

Mio's heart stopped, her eyes widening, the pain gripping her chest in an iron vice, strangling the life out of her. She tried to speak but it came out as a hoarse whisper.

"…No."

"I wish… I wish I were never born; I should have died back th-

"STOP IT!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing throughout the room.

Mayu cringed at the sudden outburst, the shrill ringing in her ears drowning out the sobs of her dear sister. "Stop - (hic-hic-hic)…stop…stop."

The elder twin fell silent, and slowly… pulled away from Mio.

Mio looked on in complete shock…as her sister took both of her hands…and placed them around her throat.

"……Please, Mio." She pleaded. "…Kill me."

----------------!!

_Crack_

Mayu's face spun to the side, the force of the impact causing her crying to cease.

"Onee-chan…I-I can't! I can't bear to hear you go on like this!" Mio was shaking visibly, hardly able to see through her blurry eyes, "How… how can you ask me of such a thing!?"

Mayu's face had a tinge of red upon her milky skin, the pain resonating on her cheek making her quiver. "But…Mio…" she turned her head slowly back, the tears still falling.

A full blown rage welled up inside Mio, her sister's self-loathing setting her off. She gripped Mayu forcefully by her arms to draw her closer, shouting all the while.

"I love you!" she shouted, her teeth setting on edge, "I've always loved you! Can't you see that!?"

Mayu went deathly quiet, neither flinching nor drawing a breath.

A huge pit formed in Mio's stomach, the horror of her actions finally settling in.

"M-Mayu-chan…I…I'm sorry."

No answer. Her head hung low, face obscured by ebony bangs.

Mio started to cry, immediately chastising herself. She hadn't meant to hurt her. She _should not …_have… hurt her.

"Mayu," she asked, dropping the honorific. "Please…look at me."

It seemed to take all of Mayu's effort to do such a simple task; lifting her head at such a forlorn pace that the twins' hair swayed elegantly back… her angelic face parting into view.

Pink lips were quivering from constrained sadness, a modest attempt at showing no pain to her better half. But even so, the tiny whimpers that escaped her mouth were too much to hold in check.

Mio looked on in horror at the innocence she had nearly broken within her sister, the red mark staining her face proof of how close Mayu was to ending her own emotions, indicating where Mio had slapped her.

_Her eyes…_

Her eyes looked so hollow, so empty that it scared her, showing unfathomable pain and loss, like her soul had been taken from her.

"But… why," Mayu stammered, her face raw from crying. "It's all… my fault."

'_But, you have no idea, do you?'_

Mayu kept her gaze even with her sister, even though the tears threatened to spill forth once again. "Mio…"

"I……I'm the one that should be sorry." Mio's eyes went downcast. "Ever since that day in the forest, I've hated myself; having to see you, everyday, of what I did to you, makes me hurt inside."

The elder girl felt a pang of guilt wash over her. How could she be so selfish? She had never thought of what Mio had to go through.

Mio let out a shaky breath, "…I ruined your life, and that's why I can never atone. In spite of everything that I've done for you, it will never change the past."

Mayu shook her head solemnly, "Please, Mio… don't."

She continued nonetheless, "If there is someone that doesn't deserve to exist, it's me." It seemed horrible to vent this on Mayu, but it really was the truth.

"I lie to you, betray you…, hurt you……;(-sniff)…" Mio could hardly contain herself at this point, choking back sobs.

The elder twin silently wept, reproaching herself for Mio's pain. "M-Mio…"

"I'm always breaking my promises...telling you that I'll be there for you." Mio hung her head, letting the beautiful hair shadow her face. "But in the end, I never am. I push you away; the most important person in my life."

Mio felt tears of anguish creeping down her face. "I have no right…" she declared, her voice laden with guilt. Bringing her hands to her face, she wept. "I don't deserve to be with you."

The younger twin felt Mayu cup her face in her palm and timidly looked up. "Mayu…?"

Mio fell into the mesmerizing gaze with her sister's starry eyes. Glistening pools of chocolate and red were half-lidded, with a few streaks of tears still lingering on Mayu's angelic face. Her mouth was slightly agape, a light blush having crept up onto her youthful features.

Mayu had never looked so beautiful in her entire life.

"…Please…" she quietly begged. She slowly leaned in, her tear-streaked, innocuous chocolate eyes closing, soft lips just barely grazing the twin's…

"Hahh-ha…" Mio's breath caught in her throat, and likewise, Mayu's did the same. They were so close to touching; only one need make the necessary move.

"Mee-oh…" the elder girl mewled, their lips brushing together. She could feel Mio quivering from her delectable touch, and ever so lightly… Mayu slid her right hand affectionately down her sister's face, the smoothness of her skin gliding across her palm like silk.

"I love you—"

A hushed moan escaped Mio as their lips met for the second time that night, every bit as gentle as the first time they kissed. The pure sentiment and affection seemed overflowing from Mayu, her lips parting to deepen her passion ever more. She could feel her soft, wet tongue sliding into her mouth…

"Nnnnnhhhh…"

For those precious few moments, all inhibition and shame was lost, and Mio could think nothing more than to relent to her twin, following Mayu into this undeniable feeling…

And then, it was over… Pale lips parted with a soft sound of release, small droplets of saliva dripping away, brown eyes now open in hazy desire. Moonlight cast upon their glistening faces from the slatted windows, innocence creeping back into them.

"M-Mayu…" she whispered, the tears running once more. She bit her bottom lips to keep herself from crying. "We can't… we can't do this…"

The elder girl looked disheartened, knowing full well the wonderful taboo they'd just committed.

"Yes… I know."

Long minutes went by as they said not one word to each other, kneeling in the same room that one night belonged to the small cries of pleasure from another era…

-Whose gaze now lingered upon Mio in intense envy, her unrequited love eating away at her within. She stood by, her nubile, gorgeously pale figure draped in shadows of long dark hair. Oh how she wanted to take Mio then, just to spare her of this misery and pain without any thought or concern.

But… she wasn't ready.

Not yet…

Not until she gave her heart to Kyoko fully.

Twin crystalline rivers fell from her eyes, the pain of suffering etching down her face in vines of ink. Sae knew that very soon…-

-She would not be able to hold herself back…

'_Mio… My love…'_

* * *


End file.
